Supporting Talent with Aligned Resources for STEM Students

该项目将通过支持Salish Kootenai学院、蒙大拿大学、蒙大拿科技大学和黑脚社区学院中表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为全国对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求做出贡献。萨利什库特奈学院和黑脚社区学院都是部落学院。该计划为期六年，将资助105名攻读生物及生物医学科学、数学及统计学、物理科学、工程学、计算机及信息科学及/或自然资源及保护等学科副学士及/或学士学位的全日制STEM学生。学士学位课程的一年级学生将获得四年的奖学金，而转学生和副学士学位课程的一年级学生将获得两年的奖学金。参与该项目的学生将获得各种各样的支持，例如来自STEM教师和同行的个人指导，以及来自所有四所院校的学生每月的专业发展机会。该计划的一个独特之处在于四个机构之间的合作。这种公共研究机构与部落学院之间日益加强的伙伴关系将促进在指导、包容性教学和学生支持方面的最佳实践的双向分享。该合作伙伴关系还将为学生提供与该州其他三所院校的同行和教职员工接触的机会。该项目的总体目标是提高有经济需求的低收入、高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。该项目的目标是提高每个学生群体的第一年保留率和毕业率，改善毕业后向STEM职业或继续接受高等教育的过渡，并提高对影响学术道路发展的问题和因素的认识。蒙大拿州最大的两个人口群体——印第安人和来自极端农村地区的人——面临着中学后坚持学习的挑战。每个群体都面临着独特的持久性挑战，其中有一些共性（例如，与家庭/土地的紧密联系、文化冲击、刻板印象）。具有积极STEM身份的学生在学业上表现更好，更有可能坚持获得学位并留在STEM领域。然而，基于stem的身份认同可能与个人身份认同发生冲突，尤其是对来自边缘社区的学生而言。这个项目将增加对如何发展整合STEM身份和个人/文化身份的综合身份的理解。为了解决整合身份的问题，社会科学研究团队将使用混合方法设计。研究结果将被综合为与文化相适应的、基于地方的知识，这些知识对部落和非部落学院和大学的STEM项目的教学、指导和政策有用。该项目将通过地方和社区会议、在区域和国家活动上的演讲以及在相关期刊上的出版物，向适当的利益攸关方传播研究成果、成功经验和经验教训。这些传播活动将在每个校园和适当的社区内进行（例如部落理事会会议，社区论坛，以及对时事通讯，网站和其他场所的贡献）。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 well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Salish Kootenai College, University of Montana, Montana Technological University, and Blackfeet Community College. Salish Kootenai College and Blackfeet Community College are both Tribal Colleges. Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 105 unique full-time STEM students who are pursuing associate and/or bachelor degrees in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences, and/or Natural Resources and Conservation. First-year students in Bachelor degree programs will receive four-year scholarships while transfer students and first-year students in Associate degree programs will receive two-year scholarships. Students in the project will have access to a wide variety of supports such as individual mentoring from STEM faculty members and peers and monthly professional development opportunities with students from all four institutions. One of the unique features of the program is the collaboration between four institutions. This increased partnership between public research institutions and Tribal Colleges will facilitate a bidirectional sharing of best practices for mentoring, inclusive instruction, and student support. The partnership will also provide students with access to peers and faculty members at three other institutions within the state.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The aims of this project are to increase the first-year retention and graduation rates for each student cohort, improve transition after graduation to either a STEM career or further higher education, and advance knowledge about issues and factors impacting advancement along the academic pathway. Montana faces post-secondary persistence challenges with two of its largest population groups: Native Americans and individuals from extremely rural areas. Each group faces unique persistence challenges, with some commonalities (e.g., strong ties to family/land, culture shock, stereotypes). Students with positive STEM-based identities perform better academically and are more likely to persist to earn a degree and stay in a STEM field. However, STEM-based identities can clash with personal identities, especially for students from marginalized communities. This project will add understanding in how to develop integrated identities that incorporate STEM identities and personal/cultural identities. To address the question of integrated identities, the social science research team will use a mixed-methods design. Findings will be synthesized into culturally-attuned, place-based knowledge that is useful for teaching, mentorship, and policy in STEM programs at Tribal and non-Tribal Colleges and Universities. This project will disseminate research findings, successes, and lessons learned to appropriate stakeholders via local and community meetings, presentations at regional and national events, and publications in relevant journals. These dissemination activities will take place on each campus and within communities as appropriate (e.g. Tribal Council meetings, community forums, and contribution to newsletters, websites, and other venues). 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.