Developing Pathways to Diversify the Profession of Engineered Materials

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This five-year project aims to contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technicians. It will do so by providing scholarships and educational opportunities to approximately 80 students who transfer from a community college in Washington to the University of Washington. These Scholars will pursue bachelor's degrees in "materials-intensive" engineering fields, including Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. This project involves a partnership between the University of Washington and four community colleges in the greater Seattle region: Edmonds Community College, Everett Community College, Green River Community College, and Seattle Central Community College. Transfer students from these colleges will be selected to receive two-year scholarships to complete their bachelor's degrees at the University of Washington. These graduates will be eligible for an additional one-year scholarship to pursue a master's degree. The project aims to support community college students with enrichment activities that are predicted to an increase their successful completion of degrees in materials-intensive engineering fields. The specific goals of the project are to: i) double the number of transfer students who apply for admission to the materials-intensive departments; ii) increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in the materials-intensive departments; and iii) upon graduation, successfully place the Scholars in full-time STEM employment, graduate school, or an international experience. The program will implement a blend of new and proven practices to achieve its goals. Programming highlights include an advising outreach program brought from the University of Washington to the community colleges, a student mentor ladder that spans from regional high school students to graduates who were supported by the project, and a choice of experiential activities involving engagement of the Scholars in faculty research projects, industrial internships, and/or an international exchange experience at Tohoku University in Japan. The program will also integrate academic and professional development activities to build community and promote the Scholars' academic and personal growth. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes surveys, focus groups and institutional data, the program's research study aims to identify the factors that influence community college students to pursue and complete bachelor's and, potentially, master's degrees in materials-intensive fields. Additionally, the study aims to determine the impact of the project elements on student self-efficacy, achievement levels, and professional identity. The efforts of this program have the potential to substantially impact the materials-intensive departments at the University of Washington and to yield a model that is broadly applicable, both across the State of Washington and nationally. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.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.