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

明尼苏达州诺斯菲尔德卡尔顿学院的国家科学基金会（NSF）科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金（S-STEM）项目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。除奖学金外，该计划还将提供学术支持，以提高有学术天赋的低收入家庭学生的持久性。项目工作将包括研究改善STEM学生第二年经验的方法，并重点关注增加具有直接专业知识的STEM教师的数量，以促进那些有可能无法完成STEM学位的低收入背景的STEM学生的成功。该项目的结果将适用于其他在大二结束之前不要求学生申报专业的机构，这些机构正在寻求提高STEM项目学生的保留率。奖学金和对学习成绩优秀的学生的支持，将有助于培养训练有素的劳动力，为明尼苏达州和全国的经济活力做出贡献，否则他们可能无法负担大学费用。该项目建立在卡尔顿现有的几项举措的基础上，并引入了针对对学生成功特别重要的领域的额外有效的学生支持实践。该项目将完善和评估当前的一年级队列策略，以支持学生的学习、学生的归属感和学生在STEM领域取得成功的动力。一项为期一年的公民参与研究项目将在大二实施。本次研究参与对学生态度的影响将被评估。对于初四年级的学生，将实施教即学的机会。项目活动还将扩大卡尔顿理工学院STEM教师的数量，他们在培养低收入背景的STEM学生方面具有直接的专业知识。本项目将促进对以下方面的理解：一年级和二年级参与式学习研究项目对学生在入门课程上的毅力和成功的影响；第二年STEM公民参与研究和建议对学生STEM专业选择的影响；以及教师对学生的建议和指导以及教师对入门课程设计的影响。对学生二年级经历的评估对于那些学生在二年级结束时宣布专业的大学来说是特别有价值的。从该项目中吸取的经验教训将广泛传播到STEM教育界，并有助于增进对成功的学生奖学金和支持项目的属性和实践的理解。

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.