A Scholarship Project to Increase the Recruitment and Retention of Students in the Sciences

该项目将向以下三个STEM学科的26名学生颁发奖学金：生物学、生物化学和分子生物学、化学、计算机科学、数学和物理。在入选中，该学院将对学业上有前途的少数族裔和有经济需要的第一代学生产生更大的兴趣。通过仔细定位招生工作，并在大学的头两年提供指导，该项目将创造一个建设性的环境来培养学生，以增加他们对所选STEM专业的留存和坚持不懈。该项目将增加有潜力在广泛的科学努力中促进知识进步的有才华的STEM专业的人数，并将培养一批最终在STEM领域就业的学生。为了成功地留住学生，该项目将包括一项招聘计划，其中包括与社区组织合作确定的对学生的个性化拓展，报名参加由STEM教员授课的独家第一年研讨会，STEM教员在每个科学系担任学术顾问、导师和促进者的STEM教员联系，以及各种校内外学习活动。该项目在第一年的目标是：(1)为S-STEM奖学金获得者成功的本科生涯做准备和支持，(2)为STEM所需的技能提供持续练习，以及(3)在S-STEM奖学金获得者中建立和培养一种社区意识。在二年级期间，每位S-STEM学者将继续由他们的STEM教师联络顾问密切指导，该顾问将支持和鼓励他们参与各种STEM机会，包括师生研究、同行指导、座谈、在葛底斯堡学院科学之家的优先住宿以及与机构行业合作伙伴提供的与工作相关的实习机会。评估这些不同活动的效果将有助于扩大关于这类奖学金项目在何种情况下取得成功的知识库。

This project will award scholarships to 26 students, in three cohorts, in the following STEM disciplines: Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. In its selection, the college will take heightened interest in academically-promising underrepresented minority and first-generation students with financial need. By carefully targeting recruitment efforts and providing mentoring during the first two years at college, the project will create a constructive environment to nurture students in order to increase retention and persistence in their chosen STEM majors. The project will increase the number of talented STEM majors with the potential to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a broad range of scientific endeavors, and will train a diverse group of students for eventual employment in STEM fields. In order to successfully retain students, the project will include a recruitment plan that integrates individualized outreach to students identified in collaboration with Community Based Organizations, enrollment in an exclusive First-Year Seminar taught by STEM faculty, STEM Faculty Liaisons in each of the science departments serving as academic advisors, mentors, and facilitators, and a variety of on- and off-campus learning activities. The project's objectives during the Scholars' first year are: (1) to prepare and support the S-STEM Scholars for a successful undergraduate career, (2) to provide continuing practice for the skills necessary for STEM, and (3) to build and nurture a sense of community among the S-STEM Scholar cohorts. During their sophomore year, each S-STEM Scholar will continue to be closely mentored by their STEM Faculty Liaison advisor, who will support and encourage their participation in various STEM opportunities including faculty-student research, peer-mentoring, colloquia, preferential residence in Gettysburg College's Science House as well as work-related internship opportunities with institutional industry partners. Assessment of the efficacy of these different activities will help contribute to expanding the knowledge base regarding the circumstances under which scholarship projects of this type are successful.