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

在国家科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)计划的资助下，该项目将支持阿尔维诺学院的高成就、低收入学生，这是一家全女性机构。在五年的资助期内，该项目将为40名正在攻读生物学、分子生物学、数学、化学、宽泛领域科学和环境科学学士学位的本科生提供奖学金。除了奖学金支持，该项目还将为学者们提供紧密结合的咨询、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、坚持性和毕业率，以解决该领域长期代表性不足的问题，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领域学生的一个关键因素，特别是留住妇女和来自STEM中任职人数不足的其他群体的学生。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，有色人种学生比例很高，阿尔维诺学院有一个独特的机会来扩大对STEM的参与。由于阿尔维诺学院在将实习生和毕业生安置在地区STEM雇主方面有着良好的记录，该项目具有加强地区STEM劳动力的潜力。该项目是阿尔维诺学院先前成功的S-STEM项目(截止日期-0850288)的扩展版本。这一扩展将在五年内为40名学生提供新的课程，更加注重早期参与(第一年)，并为每个学生提供更长的参与时间。该项目强调频繁的互动(学生与学生之间以及学生与教师之间)，并积极参与，借鉴针对低收入、高成就学生的本科STEM教育的最佳实践，并建立前一届S-STEM奖的成果。国家研究表明，预测妇女在STEM取得成功的最重要因素是发展积极的科学/数学身份和本科生社会化。与这一结果一致的是，对阿尔维诺学院先前工作的评估支持了社交活动、本科生研究活动和专业会议的价值。通过扩大这些成熟的活动并将其与新的方法相结合，例如包括一次第一年的研讨会，并在教职员工和专业顾问的双重建议下支持学生在大学的所有年份，该项目旨在提高保留率和毕业率。该项目将调查阿尔维诺学院STEM专业学生参加项目活动的数量和类型与坚持和毕业之间的关系。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，它还将在国家科学和教育学会会议上公布结果。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.