Biology and Environmental Science Training (BEST)

新墨西哥北部学院生物和环境科学培训（BEST）项目将为25名全日制学术天才和代表性不足的学生提供年度奖学金，这些学生的专业是生物学或环境科学（ES）。BEST项目将实施最佳实践支持课程活动，包括同伴领导的团队学习学习小组，生物学系列研讨会，教师指导的本科生研究经验（URE）和会议参与；还有一系列的课外活动，包括每月的队列建设活动，所有这些都是为了提高保留率。BEST还将通过提供带薪暑期劳动力实习和URE，支持参与者进入STEM劳动力和研究生项目。该项目对于科学知识的进步和对那些最有效地招募、留住和毕业STEM中代表性不足的学生的实践和服务的理解非常重要，从而增加代表性不足的学生进入STEM劳动力队伍的数量，并使该领域多样化。该项目的目标包括：1)通过加强招生和留用，增加生物和理科专业的学生数量；2)通过增加学生每学期的学分来提高学位进度；3)提高毕业率；4)实施纵向研究，生成“离开STEM的风险”量表；分析STEM和非STEM专业学生的数学焦虑；分析与STEM项目中学生自我认同和归属感增加相关的学生服务；并分析暑期研究/劳动力实习与STEM职业进入之间的相关性。本研究将使用纵向队列设计评估支持服务和活动是否影响留校/毕业。所采用的措施源自美国国家科学基金会教育研究与发展共同准则，包括定性和定量组成部分。为了获得比较样本和建立基线，我们将在前四个学期重点确定早期流失点。跟踪将在关键点上进行，以收集额外的度量，以建立随时间变化的单个更改。分析将确定教师和同伴指导、暑期实习和参与专业活动作为STEM离开或增强STEM自我认同的触发因素的影响。外部评价将提供形成性信息，以确保持续改进支助服务，确保这些服务促进留用和完成学位。总结性评估将衡量项目在满足其目标方面的有效性，并为长期规划提供信息。

The Northern New Mexico College Biology and Environmental Sciences Training (BEST) project will provide annual scholarships to 25 full-time academically talented and underrepresented students with demonstrated financial need majoring in Biology or Environmental Science (ES). The BEST project will implement best practice supportive curricular activities, including Peer-led Team Learning study groups, Biology seminar series, faculty-mentored undergraduate research experiences (URE), and conference participation; and a suite of non-curricular activities including monthly cohort building activities, all known to foster retention. BEST will also support the entry of participants into the STEM workforce and graduate programs by providing paid summer workforce internships and URE. This program is important for the advancement of scientific knowledge and understanding of those practices and services that most effectively recruit, retain and graduate underrepresented students in STEM, thereby increasing the number of underrepresented students entering the STEM workforce and diversifying the field.The project objectives include: 1) increasing the number of students in Biology and ES programs by enhancing recruitment and retention; 2) increasing degree progress by increasing student credit hours taken per semester; 3) increasing graduation rates; and 4) implementing a longitudinal study that will generate a 'Risk of Leaving STEM' scale; analyze math anxiety among STEM and non-STEM majors; analyze student services that correlate with increases in a student's self-identity and sense of belonging in a STEM program; and analyze correlations between summer research/workforce internships and STEM career entry. The research will assess whether the support services and activities impact retention/graduation using a longitudinal cohort design. The measures employed are derived from the NSF Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development and involve qualitative and quantitative components. Early attrition points are heavily targeted in the first four semesters to gain comparative samples and establish baselines. Tracking will occur at key points to collect additional measures to establish individual changes over time. Analyses will determine the effect of faculty and peer mentoring, summer internships, and engagement in professional activities as triggers for STEM leaving or enhanced STEM self-identification. External evaluation will provide formative information to ensure continuous improvement of support services to ensure they foster retention and degree completion. Summative evaluation will gauge the project's effectiveness in meeting its goals and inform long range planning.