Attracting and Retaining Scholars in the Mathematical Sciences

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The project is increasing the number of underrepresented students in mathematics by providing support for a cohort of 25 students annually. Selection of scholars is based on academic achievement in mathematics, personal statements, letters, and an interview. Students are being recruited from current mathematics students, students seeking a graduate degree, transfer students, and recent high school graduates. To better educate and retain students, this project is using lessons learned in prior projects to allow students to participate in a carefully selected, guided research activity that includes attending conferences and making presentations. These students are joining a successful learning community, developed during a prior S-STEM project, with a support structure that includes vertical, peer, and faculty mentoring. The project is utilizing a three-tier program of advising, mentoring, and research support for S-STEM scholars at typically difficult stages for students: 1) the calculus sequence level, 2) the introduction to proof courses level, and 3) the introduction to graduate level mathematical research. The program builds on existing mentoring activities that better serve all departmental students, not just the S-STEM cohort. The rigorous requirement of involvement in the discipline is improving retention rates and the readiness of graduates to participate in the workforce. Intellectual Merit: The project is increasing the number of graduates in mathematics who are prepared to succeed in high-tech careers. Graduates are also being prepared to continue their education at the masters or doctoral levels in order to do basic research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The project is supporting engagement in cross-disciplinary work because such efforts provide new ways of approaching difficult problems. Broader Impacts: Many problems in society including those in medicine, economics, the environment, law, and other areas yield to solutions developed through work done in mathematics and related STEM disciplines, but insufficient numbers of people are currently majoring in the STEM fields. This project is having a broad impact on society because it is increasing the number of students in STEM fields and because it is drawing upon groups of people who previously participated at low rates, in this case African American and female students. Increasing the number of mathematicians from underrepresented groups supports people with different backgrounds who may approach various scientific and technical problems in ways that offer the possibility of finding new solutions to current problems.