Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering

弗吉尼亚州林奇堡的兰多夫学院的这个国家科学基金会（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，这些学生攻读物理科学、工程或数学专业的学士学位。除了奖学金，该计划将提供学术支持，以提高坚持和学位完成。项目工作将包括一个密集的夏季过渡计划;通过大学四年的系列研讨会;在生活学习社区加强辅导服务;同行，教师和行业指导计划;并加强获得实习和研究机会。该项目还将进行研究，以帮助确定最有效的方式来利用来自行业的导师，以帮助支持学生完成学位。奖学金和对学业成绩优异的低收入家庭学生的支持，他们可能无法负担大学费用，将有助于培养训练有素的劳动力，这将有助于弗吉尼亚州和国家的经济活力。该项目将促进对生活学习社区的作用的理解，参与研究和使用来自行业的导师，以提高STEM专业的保留率和学位获得率。指导将是一个特殊的研究课题。虽然指导的价值是公认的，但这一领域的大多数先前工作都集中在同行或教师导师身上。该项目在兰多夫学院将研究指导本科生的行业专业人士。这项研究将试图评估影响学生辅导潜力的因素，并将制定有效的模式，以构建与行业导师的辅导经验。从该计划中出现的调查结果将被广泛传播到STEM教育界，并将有助于增加对成功的学生奖学金和支持计划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 Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia will provide scholarships for talented, low-income students pursuing bachelor's degrees with a major in a physical science, engineering, or mathematics. In addition to scholarships, the program will provide academic support to increase persistence and degree completion. Project efforts will include an intensive summer transition program; a seminar series through the four years of college; enhanced tutoring services in a living-learning community; peer, faculty, and industry mentoring program; and enhanced access to internships and research opportunities. The project will also conduct research to help determine the most effective way to utilize mentors from industry in helping to support student degree completion. Scholarships and support for academically strong low-income 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 Virginia and the nation.This project will advance understanding of the role of living-learning communities, research participation and use of mentors from industry to increase retention and degree attainment in STEM majors. Mentoring will be a particular subject of study. While the value of mentoring is well accepted, a majority of prior work in this area focuses on peer or faculty mentors. The project at Randolph College will study mentoring of undergraduates by industry professionals. The study will attempt to assess factors impacting students' potential for mentoring and will develop effective models for structuring the mentoring experience with mentors from industry. The findings that emerge from the program will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community and will help to increase understanding of the attributes and practices of successful student scholarship and support programs.