ACES: A scholarship program for atmospheric and computer science exploratory scholars

ACES：大气和计算机科学探索学者奖学金计划将提供奖学金和学术支持三十四个本科生主修大气和计算机科学（&CS）超过五年，而就读于北卡罗来纳州阿什维尔大学（UNCA）。 ACES将通过以下方式增加对社区为基础的A CS本科学习经验的有效性的认识&：为A CS学生建立队列&，以建立旨在鼓励早期学业成功的支持小组，通过学生管理团队监控学生的进步，通过提供同伴导师来帮助处于困境的学生，以帮助低水平和中等水平的A& CS科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）课程，招募同伴和教师导师来帮助解决课堂内外的问题，并提供机会让学生参与三个学科领域（研究、教学和运营）的活动，以扩大&本科生考虑的A CS STEM职业选择的类型。ACES的目标是（1）激励高中和转学生表现出强大的学术潜力和经济需要，认真考虑大气或计算机科学专业，（2）激发和保持学生的兴趣，而他们是在他们的专业具有挑战性的课程注册为本科生，特别是在他们的第一和第二年，当他们的课程主要集中在完成文科通识教育的要求，（3）让学生接触到专业内的各种学科领域和职业道路，（4）为学生选择的职业道路做好准备，（5）使ACES可持续发展超出NSF提供的初始支持。 学生数据（例如平均成绩、综合考试成绩等）调查将被用来评估计划组成部分的有效性，并评估项目的总体成功。 研究结果将与机构内的其他部门分享，作为其他项目的典范。 将通过专门针对大气和计算机科学的学科会议演讲和教育期刊上发表的论文向更广泛的STEM社区传播。

ACES: A Scholarship Program for Atmospheric and Computer Science Exploratory Scholars will provide scholarship and academic support for thirty four undergraduate students majoring in the Atmospheric and Computer Sciences (A&CS) over five years while enrolled at University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA). ACES will add to the knowledge of the effectiveness of community-based A&CS undergraduate learning experiences by building cohorts for A&CS students to establish support groups designed to encourage early academic success, monitoring student progress through a student management team, offering help to struggling students by providing peer tutors to assist in low- and mid-level A&CS science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, enlisting peer and faculty mentors to help resolve issues inside and outside the classroom, and providing opportunities for students to engage in activities in three discipline areas (research, teaching, and operations) to expand the types of A&CS STEM career options under consideration by undergraduates.ACES objectives are to (1) motivate high school and transfer students demonstrating both strong academic potential and financial need to seriously consider majors in the atmospheric or computer sciences, (2) pique and maintain the interest of students while they are enrolled in the challenging curriculum of their major as undergraduates, particularly during their first and second years, when their curriculum is focused primarily on completing the liberal arts general education requirements, (3) expose students to a variety of discipline areas and career paths within the major, (4) prepare students for their chosen career path, and (5) make ACES sustainable beyond the initial support provided by the NSF. Student data (e.g. grade point averages, comprehensive examination scores, etc.) and surveys will be used to assess the effectiveness of program components and evaluate the overall success of the project. The results will be shared with other departments within the institution to serve as a model for other programs. Dissemination to the broader STEM community will occur through disciplinary conference presentations and papers published in educational journals that specifically target the atmospheric and computer sciences.