Increasing Undergraduate STEM Success through Scholarships and Support Services

该项目将通过支持盐湖城社区学院（SLCC）表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生，为国家对高素质科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求做出贡献。SLCC是犹他州最大、最多元化的大学，在多个校区和在线课程中服务于60,000多名学生。该项目的重点是支持有学术天赋，经济困难的学生寻求STEM学位，转学到大学课程，或进入STEM劳动力。该项目为期五年，将为91名生命科学、化学、计算机科学、工程、地球科学、数学和物理专业的学生提供一到两年的奖学金。它还将提供为期一年的奖学金，使学生能够完成STEM学位。该项目将通过提供资金和其他支持和服务，为学者们带来直接的积极效益。通过使毕业生在完成STEM学位后获得更高的工资，它还将具有长期效益。此外，雇用这些毕业生的公司将能够发展他们的业务，并增加他们对当地经济的影响。该项目以学生完成学位的已知最佳实践为基础，提供社会、学术和金融服务。通过增加为就业和转学机会做好准备的STEM毕业生数量，该项目与犹他州的经济增长和转型目标直接一致。该项目的目标是提高盐湖城县低收入、高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。SLCC将利用其与高中和大学合作伙伴的广泛关系网络来招募学生参加STEM项目。一个多学科遴选小组将审核申请并挑选参与者。该奖学金计划将与现有的TRIO STEM学生支持服务计划密切合作，为学者提供服务，包括教师指导、重点建议、本科研究和其他学术工作的机会、学士学位课程转学援助、职业安置服务和支持性社交网络。SLCC将在五年内为56名新生提供为期两年的奖学金，以参加STEM学位课程。此外，该项目将为大约35名接近完成但需要支持才能完成STEM学位的“接近完成者”提供为期一年的奖学金。该项目的预期结果是，通过毕业、转学到大学课程或进入STEM劳动力市场，保留90%以上的参与者。这个项目强调让SLCC学生参与高质量的本科研究项目，这是社区大学学生通常没有经历过的。这样的研究经历被清楚地证明是一种高影响力的实践，可以激励学生继续并完成STEM学位。该项目将使用一种新颖的密集写作经验来调查改善参与研究项目的条件。这种方法的结果将促进对促进STEM成功完成的工作的理解。所有提供STEM学位课程的大学都将对项目活动和结果感兴趣。因此，该项目将在专门从事本科STEM教育的同行评审期刊上传播其工作。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

This project will contribute to the national need for highly capable scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). SLCC is Utah's largest, most diverse college serving more than 60,000 students at multiple campuses and in online classes. This project focuses on supporting academically talented, economically challenged students seeking STEM degrees, transfer to university programs, or entry into the STEM workforce. Over its five-year duration, this project will provide one- or two-year scholarships to 91 students in Life Science, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geoscience, Math, and Physics degree programs. It will also provide one-year scholarships to enable students to complete their STEM degrees. The project will have immediate positive benefits on Scholars by providing financial and other support and services. It will also have longer-term benefits, by enabling graduates to earn higher wages associated with STEM degree completion. In addition, companies that hire these graduates will be able to grow their businesses and increase their local economic impact. The project builds on known best practices for student degree completion by providing social, academic, and financial services. By increasing the number of STEM graduates who are ready for both employment and transfer opportunities, the project is directly aligned with Utah’s economic growth and transformation goals.The goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in Salt Lake County. SLCC will draw on its extensive network of relationships with high schools and college partners to recruit students into STEM programs. A multi-disciplinary selection team will review applications and select participants. The scholarship program will work closely with the existing TRIO STEM Student Support Services program to provide Scholars with services, including faculty mentoring, focused advising, opportunities for undergraduate research and other scholarly work, transfer assistance to baccalaureate programs, career placement services, and a supportive social network. Over five years, SLCC will provide 56 incoming students with two-year scholarships to enroll in a STEM degree program. In addition, the project will provide one-year scholarships to approximately 35 “Near Completers” who are close to completion but need support to finish a STEM degree. The expected outcome of the project is to retain over 90% of participants though graduation, transfer to university programs, or entry into the STEM workforce. This project emphasizes involving SLCC students in high-quality undergraduate research projects that are typically absent from the experience of community college students. Such research experience is clearly demonstrated to be a high impact practice for motivating students to continue and complete STEM degrees. The project will use a novel intensive writing experience to investigate conditions under which improved participation in research projects occurs. The results of this approach will advance understanding about what works for promoting successful STEM completion. Project activities and outcomes will be of significant interest to all colleges offering STEM degree programs. As a result, the project will disseminate its work in peer-reviewed journals specializing in undergraduate 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.