Becoming a Scientist: Supporting Success of Low-Income, Academically-Talented Students in the "Broader FOCUS" Project

这个国家科学基金会（NSF）科学，技术，工程和数学（S-STEM）奖学金项目在明尼苏达州诺斯菲尔德的卡尔顿学院将为有才华的低收入学生提供奖学金，攻读科学和数学学士学位。除了奖学金，该计划将提供学术支持，以提高学术才华，低收入学生的持久性。项目工作将包括研究改善STEM学生第二年经验的方法，并重点增加具有直接专业知识的STEM教师的数量，以促进来自低收入背景的STEM学生的成功，这些学生有可能无法完成STEM学位。该项目的结果将适用于不要求学生在大二结束前申报专业的其他机构，并寻求提高学生在STEM课程中的保留率。奖学金和支持学术强的学生，谁可能无法负担得起大学，将有助于产生一个训练有素的劳动力，这将有助于明尼苏达州和nations.The项目的经济活力建立在几个现有的举措在卡尔顿，并介绍了额外的有效的学生支持的做法，针对领域预计将是特别重要的学生的成功。该项目将完善和评估当前的第一年队列策略，以支持学生学习，学生归属感和学生在STEM中取得成功的动力。 一个为期一年的公民参与研究项目将在大二的学生实施。 本研究参与对学生态度的影响将进行评估。 对于大三和大四的学生，将提供教与学的机会。 该项目活动还将扩大卡尔顿STEM教师的人才库，这些教师具有直接的专业知识，可以促进来自低收入背景的STEM学生的成功。该项目将促进理解：第一年和第二年的学习研究项目对学生的毅力和成功的入门课程的影响;第二年STEM公民参与研究和建议对学生选择STEM专业的影响;以及教师建议和指导学生以及教师设计入门课程的影响。 对学生第二年经验的评估对学生在第二年年底宣布专业的学院特别有价值。从该计划中吸取的经验教训将广泛传播给STEM教育界，并有助于加深对成功学生奖学金和支持计划的属性和实践的了解。

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota will provide scholarships for talented, low-income students pursuing bachelor's degrees in the sciences and mathematics. In addition to scholarships, the program will provide academic support to increase the persistence of academically talented, low-income students. Project efforts will include a study of the means of improving the second-year experience of STEM students and a focus on increasing the number of STEM faculty with direct expertise in fostering the success of those STEM students from low-income backgrounds that are at risk for non-completion of STEM degrees. The results of this project will be applicable to other institutions that do not require students to declare a major until the end of the sophomore year and are seeking to improve the retention of students in STEM programs. Scholarships and support for academically strong students, who may not otherwise be able to afford college, will help to produce a well-trained workforce that will contribute to the economic vitality of Minnesota and the nation.The project builds on several existing initiatives at Carleton and introduces additional effective students support practices targeted at areas expected to be particularly critical to student success. The project will refine and evaluate current first-year cohort strategies in support of student learning, student sense of belonging, and student drive to succeed in STEM. A year-long civic-engagement research project will be implemented for students in the sophomore year. The effect of this research participation on student attitudes will be evaluated. For students in the junior and senior years, opportunities for teaching-as-learning will be implemented. The project activities will also enlarge the pool of Carleton STEM faculty with direct expertise in fostering the success of STEM students from low-income backgrounds. This project will advance understanding of: the effect of first-year and second-year engaged-learning research projects on student perseverance and success in introductory courses; the effect of the second-year STEM civic-engagement research and advising on student choice of STEM major; and the impact of faculty advising and mentoring of students as well as faculty design of introductory courses. The evaluation of the student's sophomore-year experience will be of particular value to colleges in which students declare majors at the end of the second year. The lessons learned that emerge from the program will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community and help increase understanding of the attributes and practices of successful student scholarship and support programs.