RAPID: Building Research Capabilities of Academically Talented Undergraduate Students from Hispanic-Serving Institutions through Virtual Research Experiences

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The Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI Program) supports RAPID projects when there is severe urgency with regard to availability of, or access to, data, facilities or specialized equipment, including quick-response research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This project aims to develop effective virtual internships and undergraduate research experiences to expand learning and professional development opportunities in computer sciences to minoritized undergraduate students. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in society across all sectors with widespread loss of internships, jobs, and undergraduate research experiences that negatively impact the talent pipeline in computing fields and the future of U.S. innovation. Such disruptions are likely to occur in the near future, and the U.S. must be well-prepared in offering effective virtual development opportunities and experiences for students. This project will address this exigency by refining a proven model for developing professional, research, team, and communication skills so that it will be effective in a virtual environment.The project will engage students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse experiences in impactful research projects while proving students funding that will, in part, support continuation of their education. Broadening participation of minoritized students in research can increase retention and graduation rates in computing fields. The proposed project will provide faculty professional development in the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, a Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) signature and proven practice for immersing students in research. Faculty will also learn how to incorporate ARG elements into classroom pedagogical practice to improve teaching and learning. The effort will lead to a national community of faculty who are skilled at undergraduate research mentoring informed by the ARG model and who grow through their involvement with a cohort of researchers and participation in ARG interactive webinars. The evaluation will identify the practices that work best for the virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). It will also examine whether student perceptions of computer science and their career goals change after participation in a virtual REU. In addition, the evaluation will investigate the benefit to faculty of joining a cohort community in support of research with undergraduate. The development of a model for effective virtual undergraduate research experiences can benefit many students, especially students who do not have the ability to travel to remote REUs because of family obligations. This RAPID award is made by the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program in the Division of Human Resource Development, Directorate of Education and Human Resources. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs.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.