Attracting and Retaining Scholars in the Mathematical Sciences

吸引和留住数学科学学者

• 批准号: 1259900
• 负责人: Alexandra Kurepa
• 金额: $ 61.78万
• 依托单位: North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-08-01 至 2019-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1259900&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Attracting; Retaining; Scholars; Mathematical; Sciences

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.

该项目每年为25名学生提供支助，以增加在数学方面代表性不足的学生人数。学者的选择是基于数学的学术成就，个人陈述，信件和面试。学生正在从当前的数学学生，学生寻求研究生学位，转学生和最近的高中毕业生招募。为了更好地教育和留住学生，该项目正在使用以前的项目中学到的经验教训，让学生参加精心挑选的，有指导的研究活动，包括参加会议和做演讲。这些学生正在加入一个成功的学习社区，在以前的S-STEM项目中开发，具有支持结构，包括垂直，同行和教师指导。该项目利用三层计划为S-STEM学者提供咨询，指导和研究支持，这些学者通常处于学生的困难阶段：1）微积分序列水平，2）证明课程水平介绍，3）研究生水平数学研究介绍。该计划建立在现有的指导活动，更好地为所有部门的学生，而不仅仅是S-STEM队列。参与该学科的严格要求正在提高保留率和毕业生参与劳动力的准备程度。智力优势：该项目正在增加准备在高科技职业中取得成功的数学毕业生的数量。毕业生也准备继续在硕士或博士水平的教育，以便在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域进行基础研究。该项目支持参与跨学科工作，因为这种努力提供了处理困难问题的新方法。更广泛的影响：社会中的许多问题，包括医学、经济、环境、法律和其他领域的问题，都可以通过数学和相关STEM学科的工作来解决，但目前主修STEM领域的人数不足。这个项目对社会产生了广泛的影响，因为它增加了STEM领域的学生人数，而且它吸引了以前参与率低的群体，在这种情况下是非洲裔美国人和女学生。增加来自代表性不足群体的数学家的数量支持具有不同背景的人，他们可以以提供找到当前问题新解决方案的可能性的方式处理各种科学和技术问题。