Preparing a Multi-Institutional Research and Practice Collaboration to Increase the Success of Low-Income Students in STEM

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This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by strengthening collaborations and planning for a future Track 3 S-STEM proposal that would support the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. Specifically, this project will build upon existing partnerships between several large public research institutions in the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) Collaboration including the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, which will lead the planning effort. Project activities include recruiting a diverse, multi-institutional team and outlining key questions, aims, and actions for the future proposal. The project team will also conduct a needs assessment and analyze existing data from a co-curricular undergraduate research program to determine how to better support low-income students in similar experiences. The project will advance understanding of inter-institutional cohort programs and strengthen collaborations between participating SEISMIC institutions by directly connecting professionals in financial aid, student affairs, and several existing programs that support low-income students.The overall goals of this project will be achieved by: (1) establishing relationships and agreements across institutions; (2) assessing barriers for low-income students on participating campuses; (3) identifying potential curricular and co-curricular activities to support these students; and (4) analyzing existing pilot data on co-curricular research experiences to understand potential impacts. Ultimately, this project will identify a multi-institutional team of collaborators that will work together to develop and submit a Track 3 proposal to the S-STEM program. The project will identify strategies to enhance the positive impacts of scholarships and other financial aid by designing a coordinated, multi-institutional approach that leverages the expertise of educators, social scientists, offices of financial aid, and student support services. 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.