COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Upper Delta Region Biodiversity Scholarship

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This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project is a collaborative effort between Arkansas State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. The Upper Delta Region Biodiversity program will provide scholarships and other support to 44 graduate students and 68 undergraduate students from these institutions. These academically talented and low-income students will participate in scientific research efforts involving the Upper Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Activities will include the collection and maintenance of natural history specimens and the use of these in ecological research for species discovery, patterns of genetic diversity and isolation, and impacts of habitat degradation and other environmental change. Student participation in this type of research and associated academic collaborations with peers are known to improve retention and persistence. This project will seek to improve student success through scholarship-associated supports in a program focused on biodiversity and biodiversity collections. The project will also study how student identification with a research community and other groups, along with the development of academic peer networks contribute to student success. Scholarships and support for low-income and academically talented students, who may not otherwise be able to obtain STEM degrees, will help to produce a well-trained workforce that will contribute to the economic well being of the nation.In addition to scholarships, the Upper Delta Region Biodiversity program will provide support in the form of a cohort curriculum, peer mentoring, faculty mentoring, professional development seminars, research participation and support, participation in professional society meetings, and summer opportunities including specialized coursework and participation in summer institutes. Network analysis will be used to map the extensity and density of student academic networks. A matched control group will be used. The study will help determine the characteristics of student academic networks and group identification associated with retention and degree completion. Participating institutions are members of the Delta Research Consortium, and this project will help to establish a model for multi-institutional research collaboration helping to promote STEM degree attainment. The findings from the program will be disseminated to the nation's STEM education community and will help to increase understanding of the attributes and practices of successful student scholarship and support programs for academically talented, low-income students.