Engineering Academic Pathways

该项目将通过支持北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校（一所面向学生的城市院校）保留和毕业有经济需要的优秀低收入家庭学生，从而满足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。在为期6年的时间里，该项目将为25名攻读土木工程、机械工程、系统工程和工程技术学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。符合条件的学者在完成本科学位期间将能够获得长达四年的支持。将部署一套循证规划，以增加因大流行而错过的社会情感学习、学术技能发展以及社会和航海资本建设的机会。该项目针对流行病对低收入家庭学生准备和入学工程专业的影响，以及他们错过的社会和情感学习机会，做出了紧急的、基于证据的回应。项目的主要组成部分包括夏季桥梁项目、高参与度指导、大学技能和专业发展研讨会以及专门的咨询。该计划将通过培养学生的社会和文化资本来改善就业前景。通过外展，该项目还将帮助大量高中生了解工程专业，为他们申请大学做准备，并将培训高中辅导员，为低收入学生提供工程机会。工程学术途径项目是专门设计的，旨在通过应对疫情严重加剧的低收入学生的独特需求，提高经济流动性的前景。最近的数据表明，这一流行病在就业、健康和福祉方面对低收入家庭的人造成了不成比例的伤害。在2019冠状病毒病（COVID - 19）大流行的挫折之前，夏洛特市在2015年美国50个最大的经济流动性城市中排名第50位，该市正在应对机会的巨大差异。该项目将实施夏洛特-梅克伦堡机遇工作组在2017年建议的四项改善经济流动性的战略。首先是扩大K-12和高等教育机构提供的高质量大学和职业道路的范围和途径。第二，为所有学生和家长提供所需的信息和指导，帮助他们理解和把握多种大学和职业道路、准备和过程。第三，扩大和加强对第一代学生和其他社会经济地位较低的学生的支持，这些学生需要帮助他们过渡到中学并完成中学教育。第四，也是最后，是提升和积极促进获得大专学位的至关重要性。该计划的个别要素的成功将得到严格的评估和调整，以达到最大的效果。这将增进对大流行病后世界低收入学生独特需求的了解，并能够通过专业发展研讨会和学术出版物向正在应对类似情况的其他机构传播最佳做法。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 the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an urban, access-oriented institution. Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 25 unique full time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Engineering Technology. Eligible scholars will be able to receive up to four years of support while they complete their undergraduate degree. A suite of evidence-based programming will be deployed to enhance opportunities for social-emotional learning, academic skills development, and social and navigational capital building that were missed due to the pandemic. The project makes an urgent, evidence-based response to pandemic impacts on low-income students’ preparation for and enrollment of engineering majors, as well as their missed opportunities for social and emotional learning. Key components of programing include a summer bridge program, high engagement mentoring, a college skills and professional development seminar, and dedicated advising. The programing will improve employment prospects by developing social and cultural capital in students. Through outreach, the program will also help large numbers of high school students learn about engineering majors and prepare them for the college application process and will train high school counselors about engineering opportunities for low income students.The Engineering Academic Pathways program is specifically designed to enhance the prospects of economic mobility by responding to the unique needs of low-income students that the pandemic has substantially exacerbated. Recent data indicate the pandemic has disproportionately harmed people in low-income households relative to employment, health, and well-being. Prior to the setbacks of the COVID 19 pandemic, Charlotteans were responding to substantial disparities in opportunity after the city was ranked 50th out of the 50 largest US cities for economic mobility in 2015. The program will implement four of the strategies for improving economic mobility that were recommended by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force in 2017. First is to broaden the range of and access to high quality college and career pathways offered by K-12 and postsecondary institutions. Second is to equip all students and their parents with the information and guidance they need to understand and navigate multiple college and career pathways, preparation, and processes. Third is to expand and strengthen support for First Generation and other low-socioeconomic students who need help transitioning to and completing secondary education. Fourth, and finally, is to elevate and actively promote the critical importance of acquiring a post-secondary degree. The success of individual elements of the program will be rigorously evaluated and adapted for the greatest effectiveness. This will advance understanding of the unique needs of low income students in a post-pandemic world and enable the dissemination of best practices through professional development seminars and scholarly publications to other institutions that are reacting to similar conditions. 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.