Leveraging Citizen Science to Grow and Diversify the Science, Engineering, and Technology Workforce of the Future

利用公民科学来发展未来的科学、工程和技术劳动力并使其多样化

• 批准号: 2221147
• 负责人: Amanda Wright
• 金额: $ 146.23万
• 依托单位: Marymount University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-15 至 2028-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2221147&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Leveraging; Citizen; Science; Grow; Diversify

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technologists by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Marymount University, a private, Catholic institution in Arlington, VA, that was recently designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 22 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biology, biochemistry, or information technology. First year students will receive up to 4 years of scholarship support. Through targeted communication and robust marketing, the number of students enrolled and retained in STEM programs at Marymount is expected to increase. Scholars will participate in collaborative activities designed to introduce them to citizen science, empower them to promote STEM in their local communities through an ambassador program, and allow them to engage with other STEM professionals by hosting a citizen science symposium. Scholars will gain STEM-essential skills through process-oriented, topical citizen science projects and use those skills to serve their local communities. Scholars will develop multi-stage career plans and receive mentoring throughout the program from faculty and alumni. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The following aims will be addressed (1) recruit and enroll 22 unique scholars across three cohorts; (2) retain and graduate program scholars within four years; and (3) place all scholars in STEM jobs or graduate programs within 1 year of graduation. In addition the project aims to explore how engaging in citizen science affects students’ STEM skills including their ability to think creatively, analyze data critically, work effectively in a team, exhibit self-confidence, and lend a critical eye to examine their own perceptions. Participation in citizen science is hypothesized to increase undergraduate student engagement and make STEM more accessible. Best practices for embedding citizen science in the undergraduate curriculum of STEM programs at Marymount will be explored, and a model for citizen science implementation at other universities will be created. This project aims to strengthen STEM skills, which will result in greater student success and retention and promote STEM careers. The skills developed throughout the project will allow for continued success and the professional mobility of participants. The project will also benefit the communities with which scholars engage, demonstrating how science can be used as an instrument of service in local communities. A mixed methods evaluation approach will be used, including enrollment, retention, graduation, and career placement data, in addition to qualitative surveys, written reflections, and focus groups. Results of the project will be made available through presentations and publications to a wide audience. 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.

该项目将通过支持马里蒙特大学留住并毕业于马里蒙特大学，这是一所位于弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的私立天主教机构，最近被指定为拉美裔服务机构，该项目将有助于国家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。在为期6年的时间里，该项目将为22名正在攻读生物、生物化学或信息技术学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。一年级学生将获得长达4年的奖学金支持。通过有针对性的沟通和强有力的营销，马里蒙特STEM项目的注册和保留学生数量预计将增加。学者们将参与旨在向他们介绍公民科学的合作活动，通过大使计划使他们能够在当地社区推广STEM，并通过举办公民科学研讨会使他们能够与其他STEM专业人员接触。学者们将通过面向过程的专题公民科学项目获得STEM基本技能，并利用这些技能为当地社区服务。学者将制定多阶段的职业计划，并在整个项目期间接受教职员工和校友的指导。该项目的总体目标是增加低收入、高成就、有经济需求的本科生的STEM学位毕业率。将实现以下目标：(1)在三个群体中招募和招收22名独特的学者；(2)在四年内留住和研究生项目学者；(3)在毕业后一年内将所有学者安排在STEM工作或研究生项目中。此外，该项目旨在探索参与公民科学如何影响学生的STEM技能，包括创造性思维、批判性分析数据、有效地在团队中工作、展示自信以及以批判性眼光审视自己的看法的能力。参与公民科学被认为是为了增加本科生的参与度，并使STEM更容易获得。将探索在马里蒙特STEM课程的本科课程中嵌入公民科学的最佳实践，并将创建在其他大学实施公民科学的模式。该项目旨在加强STEM技能，这将导致更大的学生成功和留住，并促进STEM职业生涯。在整个项目中培养的技能将使参与者能够继续取得成功和专业流动。该项目还将使学者参与的社区受益，展示如何将科学用作当地社区的服务工具。除了定性调查、书面反思和焦点小组外，还将使用混合方法的评估方法，包括入学、留住、毕业和职业安置数据。该项目的成果将通过专题介绍和出版物向广大受众提供。该项目由NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入学术天才学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学业成功、留住、转移、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。