Scholarships with Academic and Career Support to Increase Associate STEM Degree Completion

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This project will contribute to the national need for skilled scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students at the Community College of Denver. Over its five-year duration, the project will provide scholarships to 40 full-time students who are pursuing associate degrees in Computer Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Geology, General Science, Fermentation Science, or Physics. Scholars will be recruited and supported in four annual cohorts of ten students each. They will receive up to two years of scholarship support and access to other supports, including advising, tutoring, mentoring, and leadership development. Finally, this project intends to broaden the participation of women and other underrepresented student populations in STEM degree fields.The overall goal of the project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project objectives are to: (i) recruit eligible students into S-STEM eligible disciplines; (ii) create an effective Scholar support system; (iii) improve Scholars' graduation rates; (iv) promote the participation of women and underrepresented students in STEM fields; and (v) create an infrastructure for seamless transition from the College of Denver to four-year institutions in Colorado. The research and education products developed through this project have the potential to advance scientific knowledge and provide a model for other institutions that are interested in developing strategies to contribute to a diverse STEM workforce. The project’s outcomes and products will be disseminated through local and national science education conferences and scholarly articles. 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.