RCMS: GUIDED RESEARCH EXPERIENCES for MINORITY SCHOLARS

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9450347 Jensen Overview The Marquette University College of Engineering proposes to renew its Research Careers for Minority Scholars (RCMS) program titled "Guided Research Experiences for Minority Scholars". This broad-based program proposes to attract talented undergraduate minority students to engineering, retain them in engineering programs through degree completion, and to prepare them for research careers. The proposed program will rely on the College's strong academic program in Biomedical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering; its state-of-the-art facilities, partnerships with industry; and its tradition of successfully educating minority students. The renewed program will be expanded to include 12 student participants per year (a 20% increase) for four years, 18 students over the course of the project. The program combines academic year course work, research project work, and summer research experiences. The proposed program provides financial assistance, nurtures academic success and personal growth through mentorship, role modeling, and strong advising program. Each student will gain a personal identification with the engineering profession, and the encouragement, preparation, and assistance necessary to enter programs of graduate study. Project Characteristics The context of the project is a private national urban, Jesuit, Catholic education. The general scope of the proposal is national, in that project will attract underrepresented minority participants from around the nation as well as locally. The state of Wisconsin is approximately 36% minority and southeastern Wisconsin is approximately 27.8% minority, providing a sizable local pool of possible participants. Funding for this project is requested for four years. Project Description The goal of the project is to attract undergraduate underrepresented minority students to engineering, to retain them through the Baccalaureate degree, and t o encourage and prepare them for graduate studies, and, to assist them in seeking successful graduate school placement. Program components include placement of participants with a research mentor and inclusion in active and meaningful research experiences in a supportive environment. Financial support in the form of lab work stipends, partial (need based) tuition assistance, summer research opportunities, group social and professional activities, travel to professional conferences, and career advising. Students are encouraged to immerse themselves (to the extent possible) in the academic life. Key Players Key players for this project are the National Science Foundation and Marquette University. The university regularly includes outside organizations as indirect collaborators. They include research and coop work sites such as the Veterans Administration Research Center, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Wisconsin Electric Power Co., Illinois Department of Transportation. Participants Individuals will be recruited from the local and national pool of minority applicants as identified by the Marquette University Office of Admissions. These individuals will include Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. All individuals must meet regular entrance requirements for engineering at Marquette University which includes criteria for performance in mathematics and science. The complete group will include 12 individuals: six freshmen, 2 current sophomores, 2 current juniors and 2 seniors. They will have appropriate recommendations and will have grade point average of 3.000 on a 4-point scale. Leverage Marquette University intends to overmatch NSF funds by providing 56.9% of the total cost of the project over four years. These funds will support personnel costs for mentoring and advising, Director, Graduate Director and tuition assistance from Marquette University. In addition, as costs increase from year to year, the NSF share will remain constant. This results in a reducti on of 26.8% in the per student costs over the current project. Evaluation The program incorporation numerous participant evaluations that are used in assessing the effectiveness of the program from a students perspective. Faculty/mentor evaluations are also requested on a regular basis. The goal of this project is a 100% graduation rate and a 100% placement rate in graduate programs. The current project rate is approximately 92%. Dissemination Plans Project results will be disseminated in the form of annual reports, newsletters to alumni and other colleges and universities, opportunities to present papers and participate in poster sessions at conferences.