Careers in Food, Energy, and the Environment - an Interdisciplinary Approach

密歇根州立大学的国家科学基金会（NSF）科学，技术，工程和数学（S-STEM）奖学金项目将为有才华的低收入学生提供奖学金，这些学生正在攻读STEM学位。 该项目包括应用生物学领域，重点是粮食，能源和环境（STEM-FEE），以解决与粮食安全，清洁水，环境可持续性，土壤健康，营养不良，入侵物种，生物燃料和生物技术相关的关键全球问题。这些学科包括昆虫学、动物科学、作物和土壤科学、林业、渔业和野生动物、食品科学和园艺等应用生物学领域。 该项目是为了满足行业的需求，引用了植物科学家，食品科学家，可持续生物材料专家和水资源科学家的数千个空缺职位。追求这些应用生物学课程的有才华的低收入学生也将获得学术支持，以在必修课程中取得成功，包括数学，统计学，无机和有机化学，生物学，生理学，生物化学和遗传学。与粮食安全，能源和环境有关的行业对国家安全至关重要，工业界对合格的科学培训毕业生的需求未得到满足，这对有才华的低收入学生来说是有吸引力的职业道路。奖学金和支持低收入和学术才华的学生，谁可能无法获得STEM学位，将有助于产生训练有素的劳动力，这将有助于国家的经济福祉。应用生物学学科，重点是粮食，能源和环境，寻求解决与粮食安全，土壤质量，气候破坏，环境可持续性和直接影响生活质量的相关生物问题。 尽管如此，这些STEM-FEE学科的毕业生数量不足，无法满足研究和劳动力需求，导致受影响行业越来越关注。密歇根州立大学的应用生物学科包括数学、化学和生物学相关领域的重要基础课程。对于来自这些科学领域的学生来说，就业机会很好，带薪暑期实习也很容易获得。很少有学生认识到STEM-FEE学科的机会。 该项目将解决这一问题，并研究如何有效地招募学术天赋和低收入学生进入应用生物领域。该项目将招募高中，社区学院和大学的学生从未申报的专业使用多方面的计划，利用不同的经验，互动编程，以吸引潜在的学生在指定的学术水平，向学生介绍应用生物学科和他们遇到的国家和全球问题。 学者们将与导师密切合作，成为与校内和校外科学家会面的群体的一部分，参观研究场所，并有机会进行本科研究和与STEM-FEE行业合作者进行带薪暑期实习。该计划的调查结果将广泛传播到STEM教育界。

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project at Michigan State University will provide scholarships for talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing STEM degrees. The project includes areas of applied biology with a focus on food, energy, and the environment (STEM-FEE) to address critical global problems related to food security, clean water, environmental sustainability, soil health, malnutrition, invasive species, biofuels, and biotechnology. These disciplines include the applied biology fields of entomology, animal science, crop and soil sciences, forestry, fisheries and wildlife, food science, and horticulture. The project is responding to the needs of industry citing thousands of unfilled jobs for plant scientists, food scientists, sustainable biomaterials specialists, and water resource scientists. Talented low-income students pursuing these applied biology programs will also receive academic support to achieve success in required coursework that includes mathematics, statistics, inorganic and organic chemistry, biology, physiology, biochemistry, and genetics. Disciplines related to food security, energy, and the environment are vital to national security and the unmet demand from industry for qualified scientifically trained graduates represents attractive career paths for talented low-income students. 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.Applied biology disciplines with a focus on food, energy, and the environment seek to solve global problems related to food security, soil quality, climate disruption, environmental sustainability and related biologically based issues that directly impact quality of life. Despite this, insufficient numbers of graduates from these STEM-FEE disciplines exist to meet research and workforce demands, resulting in growing concern by affected industries. The applied biology disciplines at Michigan State University include significant foundational coursework in related fields of mathematics, chemistry, and biology. For students from such science-based fields, career opportunities are excellent and paid summer internships are readily available. Too few students recognize the opportunities available in STEM-FEE disciplines. The project will address this problem and study how to effectively recruit academically talented and low-income students into applied biological fields. This project will recruit high school, community college, and university students from undeclared majors using a multifaceted program that engages potential students at the indicated academic levels utilizing different experiential, interactive programming to introduce students to applied biology disciplines and the national and global problems they encounter. Scholars will work closely with a mentor, be part of a cohort that meets with scientists from on- and off-campus, visit research sites, and have opportunities for undergraduate research and for paid summer internships with STEM-FEE industry collaborators. The findings from the program will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community.