Engineering Academic Pathways

该项目将有助于国家需要受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员，通过支持高成就，低收入的学生在北卡罗来纳州的大学在夏洛特，一个城市，访问为导向的机构证明经济需要的保留和毕业。在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。符合条件的学者将能够获得长达四年的支持，而他们完成本科学位。将部署一套基于证据的方案，以增加因大流行而错过的社交情感学习、学术技能发展以及社交和导航资本建设的机会。该项目对大流行对低收入学生准备和注册工程专业的影响以及他们错过的社交和情感学习机会做出了紧急的、基于证据的回应。编程的关键组成部分包括一个夏桥计划，高参与指导，大学技能和专业发展研讨会，并专门建议。该方案将通过发展学生的社会和文化资本来改善就业前景。通过外联，该计划还将帮助大量高中生了解工程专业，为他们申请大学做好准备，并将为低收入学生培训有关工程机会的高中辅导员。工程学术途径计划是专门设计的，通过响应低收入学生的独特需求，收入的学生，疫情已大大加剧。最近的数据表明，相对于就业、健康和福祉而言，这一流行病对低收入家庭的伤害不成比例。在2019冠状病毒病大流行的挫折之前，夏洛特市在2015年的经济流动性排名美国50个最大城市中排名第50位后，夏洛特人正在应对巨大的机会差距。该计划将实施夏洛特-梅克伦堡机会工作组在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途径的范围和机会。第二是为所有学生及其家长提供所需的信息和指导，以了解和浏览多个大学和职业途径，准备和过程。第三，扩大和加强对第一代和其他需要帮助过渡到并完成中等教育的低社会经济地位学生的支持。第四，也是最后一点，是提高和积极宣传取得专上学位的重要性。该计划的各个要素的成功将得到严格的评估和调整，以达到最大的效果。这将促进对低收入家庭学生在后疫情世界中的独特需求的理解，并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NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。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术成功，保留，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.