Bridging the STEM Entrepreneurial Gap for Under-Represented Minority Women By Using the NSF I-Corps' Program Methodology

Julian C. Madison Building, LLC （JCMB）项目包括对STEM创业卓越计划（STEEP）的研究、评估和报告——这是一项试点计划，旨在提高已被证明的STEM创业支持计划的文化和背景相关性，该计划使用NSF I-Corps™框架作为模型计划方法。为了服务于促进科学进步的国家利益，该项目针对有兴趣推进STEM教育和企业所有权经验的弱势少数民族（URM）妇女。通过增加stem相关职业选择的多样性，该项目为美国边缘化人群提供了广泛的社会效益和教育进步。陡培训计划的目标是扩大对有创业兴趣的URM妇女参与国家科学基金会I-Corps™项目。该项目的范围集中于评估准备活动，这些活动共同利用STEEP的企业计划和NSF项目方法来获得最大的效率。项目团队跟踪陡参与者与公司合作伙伴的接触，以利用指导机会。利用培训前、中期和培训后的调查和访谈，收集整个项目时间轴上的数据，以分析其预期结果。该方法为以stem为重点的创业精神提供了长期可持续性的可靠研究模式，并为URM妇女参与了NSF I-Corps™项目。该项目将通过收集具有创业精神的妇女参与妇女运动的关键数据（例如实际或感知的障碍），在这一创新研究领域建立一个更广泛的社区；通过学术、专业发展和指导网络吸引国内和国际社会参与；并在参与的学术机构之间建立新的和/或改进的跨学科项目。该项目可在NSF创新网络（NIN）中扩展和转移，节点、中心、团队和参与的高等教育机构（IHE）可以实施预期的研究成果，以提高URM女性在STEM项目中的多样性和参与度，鼓励创新和创业精神。JCMB维护一个调查数据和访谈的内部存储库，这些数据和访谈经过处理，然后进行汇总，以保护机密性（来自受访者的传记信息）。在任何出版物（即科学或管理期刊）之前，总结的项目调查和个人访谈结果都被分配了假名。一旦收集和分析，JCMB将以汇总形式提供所有数据，确保保持受访者的身份。在项目期间和研究完成后的三年内，个人身份数据是受访问控制的；然后摧毁。JCMB打算向关注STEM创业缺乏多样性的广大受众分发经过整理/总结的结果。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。

The Julian C. Madison Building, LLC (JCMB) project includes the research, evaluation, and reporting of the STEM Entrepreneurial Excellence Program (STEEP) – a pilot initiative to enhance cultural and contextual relevancy for a proven STEM entrepreneurship support program using the NSF I-Corps™ framework as the model program methodology. In service to national interests promoting the progress of science, this project targets under-represented minority (URM) women interested in advancing their STEM education and experience for business ownership. By increasing diversity in STEM-related career options, this project provides broad societal benefits and advances in education for marginalized sectors of the US population.The STEEP Training Initiative goal is to broaden participation in the NSF I-Corps™ program for URM women interested in entrepreneurship. This project’s scope focuses on evaluating readiness activities that collectively utilize STEEP’s entrepreneurial planning and NSF program methodology for maximum efficacy. The project team tracks STEEP participants’ engagement with corporate partners to leverage mentoring opportunities. Utilizing pre-, interim, and post-training surveys and interviews, data is collected across the project timeline to analyze its intended results. The approach serves as a solid research model for long-term sustainability for STEM-focused entrepreneurship, as well as NSF I-Corps™ program participation for URM women.This project will create a broader-access community in this innovative research area by capturing critical data (e.g. obstacles – real or perceived) on URM women participants with entrepreneurial spirits; engaging the national and international community through academic, professional development and mentorship networks; and establishing new and/or improved interdisciplinary programs among the participating academic institutions. This project is scalable and transferable across the NSF Innovation Network (NIN) where Nodes, Hubs, Teams, and participating institutions of higher education (IHE) can implement the expected research findings to improve diversity and participation for URM women across STEM programs that encourage innovation and entrepreneurism.JCMB maintains an internal repository of survey data and interviews that is processed, then summarized to protect confidentiality (biographical information from the respondents). Summarized project survey and individual interview results are assigned pseudonyms prior to any publication (i.e. scientific or managerial journals). Once collected and analyzed, JCMB will present all data in aggregate form ensuring that the identity of respondents is maintained. Personally-identifiable data is access-controlled during the project and for three years after the study is complete; then destroyed. JCMB intends to distribute sanitized/summarized results to a broad audience concerned with the lack of diversity in STEM entrepreneurship.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.