Scholarships for Developing Excellence in Engineering and Physics (DEEP)

通过发展卓越的工程和物理（DEEP）学者项目，佐治亚大学（UGA）的一组教师和管理人员正在增加具有经济需求的学术天才学生的数量，这些学生获得工程和/或物理学士学位。为此目的，该项目向攻读农业、生物化学、生物、计算机系统和环境工程及/或物理学学位的学生提供17项奖学金。认识到国家需要培养具有扎实的物理和工程背景的学生，以及工业融合这两个学科的新趋势，项目团队提供了一个严格的15学分的跨学科工程物理证书课程，鼓励奖学金学生完成。通过增加这些专业的机会，该项目有助于满足地区和国家的STEM劳动力需求。此外，为了扩大参与，正在积极招募来自STEM中代表性不足的群体（女性、第一代、非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔）的学生。项目的技术特点以以下目标为指导：(a)通过促进学生群体之间的学习社区，提供学术和社会支持，从而使学生留在专业中；(b)通过与STEM教师建立合作，让学生参与最先进的STEM研究和设计项目；(c)利用佐治亚大学与行业和政府的工程和高科技雇主之间的伙伴关系，创造实习和其他学习机会。通过评估和评价产生的数据预计将支持这样一个基本原理：通过一个全面的学术和社会支持计划，可以实现STEM领域学生的高保留率。形成性项目评估是检查每个项目组成部分是否有助于学生的成功，管理团队的有效性以及招聘策略的影响。总结性项目评估侧重于项目是否达到其目标，即增加在所选领域的专业和最终毕业的准备充分的学生人数。项目成果的传播预计将为在STEM招聘和保留方面实施循证实践提供一个模式。该项目团队还计划在STEM教与学研究所（由佐治亚大学主办的区域会议）和国家教与学整合中心展示其工作。项目可交付成果包括总结性评估结果和为工程与物理跨学科证书课程开发的课程材料。

Through the Developing Excellence in Engineering and Physics (DEEP) Scholars project a team of faculty and administrators at the University of Georgia (UGA) is increasing the number of academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn a baccalaureate degree in engineering and/or physics. To this end the project is providing seventeen scholarships to students pursuing degrees in agricultural, biochemical, biological, computer systems and environmental engineering and/or physics. Recognizing the national need to prepare students who have strong backgrounds in both physics and engineering along with the emerging trend in industry to merge the two disciplines, the project team is offering a rigorous, 15-credit hour curriculum for an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Engineering Physics which scholarship students are encouraged to complete. By making possible increased access to these majors, the project is helping to meet regional and national STEM workforce needs. In addition, to broaden participation, students from groups which are under-represented in STEM (women, 1st generation, African American, and Hispanic) are being actively recruited.Technical features of the project are guided by the following objectives: (a) to provide academic and social support that leads to retention in the major through facilitating learning communities among student cohorts, (b) to engage students in state-of-the art STEM research and design projects by establishing collaborations with STEM faculty, and (c) to create internships and other learning opportunities by leveraging partnerships between UGA and engineering and hi-tech employers in both industry and government. Data generated through assessment and evaluation is expected to support the rationale that high retention of students in STEM fields is achievable through a comprehensive program of academic and social support. Formative project evaluation is examining whether or not each project component contributes to student success, the effectiveness of the management team, and the impact of recruitment strategies. Summative project evaluation focuses on the whether or not the project is meeting its goal to increase the number of well-prepared students majoring and ultimately graduating in the selected fields. Dissemination of the project results is expected to provide a model for implementation of evidence-based practices in STEM recruitment and retention. The project team also plans to present its work at the Institute on STEM Teaching and Learning (a regional meeting hosted by UGA) and through the national Center for the Integration of Teaching and Learning. Project deliverables include results of summative evaluation and the course materials developed for the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Engineering and Physics.