New Futures in Science and Mathematics: Supporting Engagement, Retention, Graduation, and Entry of Women into STEM Careers

在美国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，该项目将支持阿尔弗诺学院（一所全女子机构）表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生。在五年的资助期内，本项目将为攻读生物学、分子生物学、数学、化学、广域科学和环境科学学士学位的40名本科生提供奖学金。除了奖学金支持，该项目还将为学者提供紧密结合的建议、指导、辅导和专业发展。该项目将以经过检验的战略为基础，提高低收入、高成就妇女的参与度、持久性和毕业率，以解决该领域持续存在的代表性不足问题，并提高就业率。该项目强调发展学生与科学教师之间的密切联系，这被认为是留住STEM领域学生的关键因素，尤其是留住STEM领域代表性不足的女性和其他群体的学生。作为一所女子学院和西班牙裔服务机构，在威斯康星州最贫穷的县，有色人种学生的比例很高，阿尔弗诺学院有一个独特的机会来扩大STEM的参与。由于Alverno学院在将实习生和毕业生安置在区域STEM雇主方面有着良好的记录，因此该项目有可能加强区域STEM劳动力。这个项目是之前在Alverno学院成功的S-STEM项目（du -0850288）的扩展版本。这一扩张将在五年内为40名学生增加新的课程，增加对早期参与（第一年）的关注，并提供更长时间的每个学生参与。该项目强调频繁的互动（学生对学生和学生对教师）和积极参与，借鉴了针对低收入、成绩优异学生的本科STEM教育的最佳实践，并从以前的S-STEM奖项中汲取成果。国家研究表明，预测女性在STEM领域取得成功的最重要因素是积极的科学/数学身份的发展和本科社会化。与这一结果一致，对阿尔弗诺学院先前工作的评估支持社会活动、本科生研究活动和专业会议的价值。通过将这些行之有效的活动与新方法进行扩展和整合，例如包括第一年的研讨会，并在大学期间为学生提供教师和专业顾问的双重建议，该项目旨在提高留校率和毕业率。该项目将调查参与项目活动的数量和类型与Alverno学院STEM专业的持久性和毕业率之间的相关性。该项目将通过新闻稿、网站和传统出版物与公众分享这些研究成果。此外，它将在科学和教育学会的国家会议上介绍结果。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With funding from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Alverno College, an all-women institution. Over the five-year funding period, this project will provide scholarships to forty undergraduates who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in biology, molecular biology, mathematics, chemistry, broad-field science, and environmental science. In addition to scholarship support, the project will also provide Scholars with closely integrated advising, mentoring, tutoring, and professional development. The project will build upon tested strategies for increasing engagement, persistence, and graduation among low-income, high-achieving women to address persistent underrepresentation in the field and increase employment rates. The project emphasizes development of close bonds between students and science instructors, which is known to be a key factor in retention of students in STEM fields, especially retention of women and students from other groups that are underrepresented in STEM. As both a women's college and Hispanic Serving Institution with a high percentage of students of color in Wisconsin's poorest county, Alverno College has a distinctive opportunity to broaden participation in STEM. Because Alverno College has a strong track record of placing interns and graduates at regional STEM employers, this project has the potential to strengthen the regional STEM workforce.This project is an expanded version of the previous, successful S-STEM project at Alverno College (DUE-0850288). This expansion will add new offerings for a larger cohort of 40 total students over five years, increase focus on early engagement (first-year), and provide longer per-student involvement. The program emphasizes frequent interaction (student-to-student and student-to-faculty), and active participation, drawing on best-practices in undergraduate STEM education for low-income, high-achieving students and building results from the previous S-STEM award. National research indicates that the most important factors for predicting success of women in STEM are the development of a positive science/mathematics identity and undergraduate socialization. Consistent with that result, evaluation of prior work at Alverno College supports the value of social events, undergraduate research activities, and professional conferences. By expanding and integrating these proven activities with new approaches, such as including a first-year seminar and supporting students throughout all years in college with dual advising by faculty and professional advisers, the project aims to improve retention and graduation rates. The project will investigate the correlation between the amount and type of participation in the project activities and persistence and graduation in STEM majors at Alverno College. The project will share these research results with the public via press releases, websites, and traditional publications. In addition, it will present the results at national meetings of scientific and educational societies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.