Springboard to Success: Developing Future Arkansas Scientists

在国家科学基金会科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)计划的资助下，该项目将为有兴趣在阿肯色州亨德里克斯学院攻读科学的符合佩尔资格、学业有天赋的学生提供经济支持。除了支付所有自付费用外，S-STEM Track 1项目还将提供重要的学术、社会和指导支持，以确保奖学金获得者的成功。这种支持包括指导、专门的住宿、本科生研究和实习机会、职业咨询以及接受心理干预，事实证明，这些干预措施可以增加成功和留住员工。通过这个项目，亨德里克斯学院寻求增加低收入学生成功的可能性，他们中的许多人是第一代大学生，希望打破阿肯色州许多地区普遍存在的贫困循环。来自密西西比河三角洲、阿肯色州河谷和阿肯色州农村其他地区的贫困家庭的学生将被招募到这个“成功跳板”项目中。这些地区少数民族人口众多，低收入家庭比例高，高等教育水平低，第一代大学生比例高。S-STEM项目的经济支持部分将允许学生免费入学，从而为这些经济困难的学生消除上大学的沉重经济负担。此外，每个奖学金获得者将能够参加一年级新生介绍旅行、研讨会课程、STEM指导计划、三年的本科生研究或实习、在大二期间参与以STEM为主题的生活和学习社区，以及对STEM研究实验室和行业的实地考察。学生还将有机会获得高质量的职业服务计划以及个人咨询和指导。总体而言，这些活动预计将增加亨德里克斯学院STEM领域符合佩尔资格的学生的保留率和学术成就，从而解决一个重大的体制挑战。除了提供高质量和增强的本科生体验外，还将评估各种干预和指导计划，这些计划可能会增加对STEM职业感兴趣的高危学生的成功。这些研究的结果将为如何最有效地教育未来符合PELL标准的STEM学生提供指导，并为关于所谓“WISE”干预效果的研究文献做出贡献，“WISE”干预是一种简短的、有针对性的行动，旨在促进社区意识和归属感。最后，将在整个项目中使用频繁评估，以确保其有效性，并为今后加强和扩大该项目提供关键反馈。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will provide financial support to Pell-eligible, academically talented students interested in pursuing the sciences at Hendrix College in Arkansas. In addition to covering all out-of-pocket expenses, this S-STEM Track 1 project will also provide significant academic, social, and mentoring support to ensure the success of the scholarship recipients. Such support includes mentoring, specialized living accommodations, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, career counseling, and exposure to psychological interventions proven to increase success and retention. Through this project Hendrix College seeks to increase the likelihood of success for low-income students, many of whom are first-generation college students hoping to break the cycle of poverty endemic to many parts of Arkansas. Students from underprivileged backgrounds from the Mississippi River Delta, the Arkansas River Valley, and additional parts of rural Arkansas will be recruited in this "Springboard to Success" project. These areas have significant minority populations, high percentages of low income families, low levels of higher education, and a high proportion of first-generation college students. The financial support component of this S-STEM project will allow students to matriculate at no immediate cost, thus removing a prohibitive financial burden in attending college for these economically disadvantaged students. In addition, each scholarship recipient will be able to participate in a freshmen introductory orientation trip, a seminar course, a STEM mentoring program, three years of undergraduate research or internships, involvement in a STEM-themed living and learning community during their sophomore year, and field trips to STEM research laboratories and industries. Students will also have access to a high-quality career services program and personal advising and mentoring. Collectively, these activities are expected to increase retention and academic achievement of Pell-eligible students in STEM fields at Hendrix College, thus addressing a significant institutional challenge. In addition to providing a high quality and enhanced undergraduate experience, different intervention and mentoring programs that have the potential to increase success of at-risk students interested in a STEM career will be evaluated. The results of these studies will provide guidance for how to most effectively educate future Pell-eligible STEM students and contribute to the research literature on the efficacy of so-called "wise" interventions, which are short, targeted actions that promote a sense of community and belonging. Finally, the use of frequent assessment throughout the project will be used to ensure its effectiveness and provide critical feedback for its enhancement and expansion into the future.