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

该项目将在以下STEM学科的三个队列中向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，数学和物理学。在其选择，学院将采取在学术上有前途的代表性不足的少数民族和第一代学生与经济需要的高度兴趣。通过仔细定位招聘工作，并在大学的前两年提供指导，该项目将创造一个建设性的环境来培养学生，以提高他们所选择的STEM专业的保留率和持久性。该项目将增加有才华的STEM专业的数量，这些专业有可能为广泛的科学工作中的知识进步做出贡献，并将培养多样化的学生群体，以便最终在STEM领域就业。为了成功地留住学生，该项目将包括一个招聘计划，该计划将个性化的推广活动整合到与社区组织合作确定的学生中，参加由STEM教师教授的独家第一年研讨会，STEM教师联络员在每个科学部门担任学术顾问，导师和促进者，以及各种校内和校外学习活动。该项目在学者的第一年的目标是：（1）准备和支持S-STEM学者成功的本科生涯，（2）提供STEM所需技能的持续实践，以及（3）建立和培养S-STEM学者群体之间的社区意识。在大二期间，每个S-STEM学者将继续由他们的STEM教师联络顾问密切指导，他们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，座谈会，葛底斯堡学院科学楼的优先居住以及与机构行业合作伙伴的工作相关的实习机会。对这些不同活动的功效进行评估将有助于扩大关于这类奖学金项目取得成功的情况的知识基础。

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.