The Science Scholars Program

为了增加学术上有才华和经济上处于不利地位的生物学，生物化学，生物技术，化学，数学，计算机科学和物理学毕业生在阿尔马学院的数量，这个项目将提供财政支持沿着的工具和经验的奖学金获得者需要取得学术上的成功。 该项目将借鉴旨在加强第一年经验的国家科学基金STEP项目（目前得到该机构的充分支持）的经验教训。 以证据为基础的做法，如学习社区产生的同伴支持，通过指导教师的抢先体验，以及融入该机构丰富的本科研究文化将是该项目保留20名STEM专业参与者的方法的核心。 该项目以当地和区域社区的需求为基础，应有助于扩大第一代学生在追求和获得STEM学位方面的参与。为学术上优秀的STEM学生提供奖学金，否则他们可能无法负担大学费用，这对准备帮助国家，地区和当地公司的STEM毕业生的数量产生了影响。有才华的STEM毕业生帮助美国行业在全球经济中竞争和创新。研究表明，学生作为科学家的身份可以通过参与学科研究来培养，在此基础上，该项目将包括以下活动：（a）邀请参加通过NSF-STEP项目设计的大学预科体验（一系列课程，研讨会和社区建设活动，以夏季研究项目为高潮），（B）第一年的特别研讨会，旨在向学者介绍跨学科的研究课题，如生物技术和环境监测，（c）导师匹配的专业人士在工业，和（d）有保证的，有报酬的研究机会。 预计项目评估的结果将有助于充实关于STEM保留与学生作为科学家和研究人员的自我认同之间的相关性的知识库。 形成性和总结性评价将包括分析项目组成部分与成功实现这一目标的一致程度。 标准化的调查工具，用于大学范围内（全国学生参与调查[NSSE]和合作机构研究计划调查[CIRP]）将与定制的评估和评价工具一起使用沿着。 此外，参与者谁做研究，目前的论文，并进入研究生和专业课程的科学将在毕业后跟踪。评估结果的传播将通过网络研讨会，棕色午餐袋，并在全国会议上，如年度CUR研究所启动和维持本科研究计划和全国过渡学生会议。 学科特定的演讲场地将包括美国化学学会的年会，学院和大学生物教育工作者协会的年会，以及美国物理教师协会全国会议。

To increase the number of academically talented and financially disadvantaged Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics graduates at Alma College, this project will provide financial support along with the tools and experiences the scholarship recipients need to achieve academic success. The project will build on lessons learned from an NSF-STEP project (now fully supported by the institution) that was designed to enhance the first-year experience. Evidence-based practices such as peer support generated in Learning Communities, early access to faculty through mentoring, and integration into the institution's rich undergraduate research culture will be central to the project's approach to retaining 20 participants in the STEM majors. The project is grounded in the needs of the local and regional community and should help to broaden the participation of first-generation students in the pursuit and attainment of STEM degrees. Scholarships for academically strong STEM students, who may not otherwise be able to afford college, have an impact on the number of STEM graduates prepared to help national, regional, and local companies. Talented STEM graduates help US industries to compete and innovate in a global economy. Building on research that shows that students' identities as scientist can be cultivated by their participation in disciplinary research, the project will incorporate the following activities: (a) an invitation to take part in pre-college experiences designed through the NSF-STEP project (a series of courses, seminars, and community building activities that culminates with a summer research project), (b) a special first-year seminar designed to introduce scholars to interdisciplinary research topics such as biotechnology and environmental monitoring, (c) mentor matching to professionals in industry, and (d) guaranteed, paid research opportunities. It is expected that the findings from the project evaluation will help to contribute to the knowledge base regarding the correlation of STEM retention to student's self-identification as scientists and researchers. Formative and summative evaluation will consist of an analysis of how well the project components align with successful attainment of this goal. Standardized survey instruments that are used college wide (the National Survey of Student Engagement [NSSE] and the Cooperative Institutional Research Program-survey [CIRP]) will be used along with customized assessment and evaluation instruments. In addition, participants who do research, present papers, and enter graduate and professional programs in the sciences will be tracked upon graduation. Dissemination of the results of evaluation will be done through webinars, brown bag lunches, and at national meetings like the Annual CUR Institute on Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs and the National Conference on Students in Transition. Discipline specific presentation venues will include the annual meetings of the American Chemical Society, the Annual Meeting of the Association of College and University Biology Educators, and the American Association of Physics Teachers National Meeting.