Scholars Program for Environmental Challenges

该项目将有助于国家需要受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员，通过支持高成就，低收入学生的保留和毕业，证明经济需要在查尔斯顿大学（UC），一个独立的，男女同校，住宿大学位于西弗吉尼亚州的查尔斯顿。在为期5年的时间里，该项目将为12名正在攻读数据科学，计算机科学，生物科学，化学和生物化学双学士学位的学生提供四年奖学金。程序.该项目将研究创新的方法，以吸引和留住学生在干领域在UC谁可以在干劳动力的成功，并确定什么制度因素促进学生的参与和成就干教育。 该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，高成就的本科生与证明财政需要完成STEM学位。该项目的具体目标是：（1）招募12名表现出经济需要的学术天才学生主修STEM学科，（2）提高STEM学者的保留率和毕业率，（3）在毕业后一年内将90%的毕业学者安置在STEM相关的工作，实习或研究生课程中，和（4）通过检查新的招聘策略的影响，并确定是否有一个不断发展的教师指导方法，具有导师指导，导师-学生指导，最后是学生指导的研究机会有助于发展科学身份，并留住STEM学生。在这个项目中解决的研究问题是：（1）在多大程度上非传统的招聘和选拔方法增加了进入STEM专业的代表性不足的学生的数量，以及（2）在多大程度上不断发展的教师指导方法具有导师指导，导师-学生指导，最后学生指导的研究机会保留在STEM学生？该研究将收集和分析机构数据，以确定该项目对STEM学生的招聘和保留有什么影响（如果有的话）。项目的形成性评价和总结性评价将采用混合方法。该研究的结果将通过阿巴拉契亚学院协会，西弗吉尼亚科学院，校园联系以及STEM教育中的存档期刊等场所在区域，州和国家层面进行共享。该项目由NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学术成功，保留，转移，毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at the University of Charleston (UC), an independent, co-educational, residential university located in Charleston, West Virginia. Over its 5-year duration, this project will fund four year scholarships to 12 students who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in data science, computer science, biological sciences, chemistry, and dual biology-chemistry B.S. programs. This project will examine innovative ways to attract and retain students in STEM fields at UC who can be successful in the STEM workforce, and determine what institutional factors promote students' engagement and achievement in STEM education. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The specific goals of this project are to: (1) recruit 12 academically talented students who demonstrate financial need to major in STEM disciplines, (2) improve retention and graduation of the STEM scholars, (3) place 90% of graduating scholars in a STEM-related job, internship, or graduate program within one year of graduation, and (4) generate new knowledge in the field of undergraduate STEM education by examining the effects of novel recruitment strategies and determining whether an evolving faculty mentoring approach featuring mentor-guided, mentor-student-guided and finally student-guided research opportunities helps to develop science identity and retain students in STEM. Research questions addressed in this project are: (1) to what extent does a non-traditional recruitment and selection method increase the number of underrepresented students entering STEM majors, and (2) to what extent does an evolving faculty mentoring approach featuring mentor-guided, mentor-student-guided, and finally student-guided research opportunities retain students in STEM? The study will collect and analyze institutional data to determine what effects (if any) this project has on recruitment and retention of STEM students. A mixed methods approach will be used for both the formative and summative evaluations of the project. The results of the study will be shared at the regional, state and national levels through venues such as the Appalachian College Association, West Virginia Academy of Sciences, Campus Contact, as well as archived journals in STEM education. 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 STEM workers, 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.