Fostering Outstanding Cohorts in Undergraduate Science (FOCUS) Scholarships

培养本科科学杰出群体（FOCUS）奖学金

• 批准号: 0807128
• 负责人: Lee Hughes
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: University of North Texas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0807128&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Fostering; Outstanding; Cohorts; Undergraduate; Science

The project establishes scholarships for beginning undergraduate students with financial need who are majoring in biology, biochemistry, or chemistry. This project provides scholarships for the first two years of undergraduate study to three cohorts of 24 students each, serving a total of 72 individuals over four years. Recruitment is targeting matriculating high school students, with selection based on a combination of academic preparedness, including mathematics proficiency, and eligibility for need-based financial aid. Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to $7,000 per academic year dependent upon the financial need of the recipient, with an average award of approximately $3,600 per year. Cohort building includes having recipients co-enroll in class sections in each semester and attend a special "careers in sciences" seminar course during their sophomore year. In the careers course, students are given direction on career building activities, including connecting with academic support services, selection of research mentors, applying for internships, and exploring ethical issues in science. Students in the program meet regularly with graduate student mentors from their major area of study, who are available as tutors and role models, and they associate with research faculty through a mentoring program, organized lab tours, and social events. During their second year, FOCUS cohort members are assisted in connecting to opportunities available to juniors or seniors, such as scholarship opportunities, research experiences, and the UNT McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement program. The peer and mentor community connections extend beyond the scholarship period to provide continued academic and social support throughout the undergraduate degree program. Intellectual Merit The intellectual merit of the proposed project includes bringing together a team of experienced educators and student service professionals to foster a cohort of undergraduate science majors. By building on existing programs at the university, the investigators are developing a sustainable program for the purpose of creating a peer community that encourages students to explore research opportunities and continue into a successful science career. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of cohort-building and mentoring activities on retention of participants in the biology, biochemistry, and chemistry majors.Broader Impacts The broader impact of this program include the development of a cohort model for student success that can be exported to other institutions. This scholarship program assists students from a wide variety of backgrounds in obtaining their bachelor's degree by providing needs-based financial assistance along with academic and social support in their first two years. An increase in recruitment and retention of science majors from diverse backgrounds benefits society by providing critical personnel for the advancement of science and technology.

本项目为生物学、生物化学或化学专业有经济需要的本科新生设立奖学金。该项目为本科学习的前两年提供奖学金，分为三组，每组24名学生，四年共为72人提供奖学金。招募对象是即将入学的高中学生，选择的依据是学术准备（包括数学能力）和是否有资格获得基于需求的经济援助。奖学金金额从每学年1000美元到7000美元不等，具体取决于接受者的经济需求，平均每年约为3600美元。队列建设包括让受助人在每个学期共同参加班级分组，并在大二期间参加一个特殊的“科学职业”研讨会课程。在职业课程中，指导学生进行职业建设活动，包括联系学术支持服务、选择研究导师、申请实习以及探索科学中的伦理问题。该项目的学生定期与他们专业领域的研究生导师会面，他们可以作为导师和榜样，并通过指导计划、有组织的实验室参观和社交活动与研究人员联系。在他们的第二年，FOCUS队列成员将被协助联系大三或大四学生可以获得的机会，如奖学金机会、研究经验和UNT McNair学士学位后成就计划。同辈和导师社区关系延伸到奖学金期限之外，在整个本科学位课程中提供持续的学术和社会支持。智力价值建议计划的智力价值包括汇聚一批经验丰富的教育工作者和学生服务专业人员，培养一批理科生。通过在大学现有项目的基础上，研究人员正在开发一个可持续的项目，目的是创建一个鼓励学生探索研究机会并继续走向成功的科学事业的同行社区。这个项目正在评估队伍建设和指导活动对保留生物、生物化学和化学专业学生的有效性。更广泛的影响这个项目的更广泛的影响包括开发一个学生成功的队列模型，可以输出到其他机构。该奖学金计划通过在头两年提供基于需求的经济援助以及学术和社会支持，帮助来自各种背景的学生获得学士学位。增加招收和保留来自不同背景的理科生，为科学技术的进步提供关键人才，从而造福社会。