Research Immersive Scholastic Experience in Biology: A Scholarship and Support Program

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With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the Research Immersive Scholastic Experience in Biology (RISEbio) program is providing support to low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSUM). The project is funding 80 scholarships over five years for students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in biological sciences. Participating in research is one of the crucial factors in retaining students in STEM fields. However, research opportunities are often hard to find for students in the first two years of undergraduate education, especially at comprehensive institutions without a large research community. To address this need, the Department of Biological Sciences at MSUM will develop and implement a scholarship and support program targeting incoming freshmen. Eighty students, in four cohorts of 20, will enter the program in their freshman year and will take one research methods course, followed by two semesters of research in Brain and Behavior or Immunity and Cancer. RISEbio will award freshmen with financial need and academic potential a scholarship that is renewable over three semesters while they take part in the program. The overall goal of RISEbio is to increase student academic success as measured by first-time pass rates for core courses, discipline retention, and 4- and 5-year graduation rates. In addition to participating in research, RISEbio students will join learning communities and will be guided by faculty and peer mentors. The research component of RISEbio is designed to provide scholars with an authentic real-world research experience similar to that experienced by students at research-intensive universities, but tailored to fit within the available infrastructure at a primarily undergraduate comprehensive institution such as MSUM. RISEbio will provide a platform to test how the proposed objectives translate to student persistence and academic success. Through evaluative and summative assessment, the RISEbio project will enhance our knowledge of how student success in the biological sciences is impacted through first- and second-year scholastic experiences that bridge social integration, mentorship, and technical and professional skill building with an immersive research experience. Moreover, RISEbio will provide insight on how student academic success is impacted when financial burdens are reduced through a scholarship which supports students during a critical window of adjustment to college. Lastly, the RISEbio program is modifying existing freshman research programs utilized by research-intensive universities to fit within the available infrastructure of a primarily undergraduate comprehensive institution. This adaptation provides a foundation for understanding how immersive freshman research experiences in biology impact comprehensive university student outcomes. By developing and implementing RISEbio initiatives, RISEbio will enhance first-time pass rates for core courses, improve retention, and increase 4- and 5-year graduation rates for low-income, academically motivated students. The overlapping and integrated nature of the RISEbio objectives provide a catalyst for developing a workforce with professional and technical skills that will ultimately improve student marketability for both post-baccalaureate employment and graduate school.