RII-BEC: Securing STEM Island Pathways

RII-BEC：确保 STEM 岛通道的安全

• 批准号: 2225854
• 负责人: Kristin Wilson Grimes
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: University of The Virgin Islands
• 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: 2022-11-01 至 2026-10-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2225854&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RII; BEC; Securing; STEM; Island

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree recipients often face uncertain job opportunities and employment lags that result in transitions out of STEM pathways to other on- or off-island employment. This loss has powerful impacts for both the territory’s and the nation’s STEM workforce, as the USVI population consists primarily of those from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in STEM (76% Black or African American, additional 17% Hispanic of any race). Meanwhile, territorial partners have existing, vacant, and emerging STEM workforce needs that could be filled by these individuals. Providing support to early career researchers has been demonstrated as one significant approach to preventing them from leaving STEM career pathways. This project will support 13 post-degree recipients from underrepresented groups in the geosciences. Recipients will be prepared for local workforce positions and graduate school at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), the only institution of higher learning in the territory and one of only three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the country with master’s degree programs in marine science. The project will document the progress of these individuals and support them to pursue their career interests. The project will increase diversity and inclusion in STEM, strengthen partnerships, provide critical support to the only HBCU located outside of the continental United States, and build critical capacity within an under-resourced EPSCoR jurisdiction.The goals of the Securing STEM Island Pathways project are to (1) stabilize career pathways for UVI post-degree recipients through the creation of new short- and long-term job opportunities with territorial partners and support to attend UVI’s Masters of Marine and Environmental Science program, (2) increase STEM career interest, readiness, and sense of community, and reduce career anxiety for participants through these post-degree opportunities and other support structures like mentoring, placement agreements, and networking through local and professional society meetings, (3) connect participants to each other and to additional resources, expertise, and mentors, through the creation of new professional networks, and (4) strengthen existing and build new partnerships between UVI and STEM workforce partners operating in the territory and beyond, while building local and national STEM workforce capacity. The project will leverage partnerships, programs, and resources developed by Virgin Islands EPSCoR and the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance and build on the Alliance’s early successes and infrastructure. This project bridges a critical period of uncertainty for many underrepresented post-degree recipients, especially those disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the establishment of STEM career placements (short-term, long-term, and graduate), the project will contribute to mitigation of STEM workforce losses and recipients' career uncertainty. The project has potential to serve as a model program for the territory, other EPSCoR jurisdictions, and the nation for broadening participation in STEM.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.

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。在美属维尔京群岛，科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学位获得者往往面临不确定的就业机会和就业滞后，导致从STEM途径过渡到其他岛上或岛外就业。这一损失对领土和国家的STEM劳动力都有强大的影响，因为USVI人口主要由STEM中代表性不足的种族和族裔群体组成（76%黑人或非裔美国人，另外17%任何种族的西班牙裔）。与此同时，地区合作伙伴有现有的，空缺的和新兴的STEM劳动力需求，这些人可以填补。为早期职业研究人员提供支持已被证明是防止他们离开STEM职业道路的一种重要方法。该项目将支持来自地球科学代表性不足群体的13名学位后获得者。获奖者将为维尔京群岛大学（UVI）的当地劳动力职位和研究生院做好准备，该大学是该地区唯一的高等学府，也是该国仅有的三所历史上黑人学院和大学（HBCU）之一，拥有海洋科学硕士学位课程。该项目将记录这些人的进展情况，并支持他们追求自己的职业兴趣。该项目将增加STEM的多样性和包容性，加强伙伴关系，为唯一位于美国大陆以外的HBCU提供关键支持，并在资源不足的EPSCoR管辖范围内建立关键能力。确保STEM岛路径项目的目标是（1）通过创建新的短期和长期的职业发展路径，稳定UVI学位后接受者的职业发展路径，与领土合作伙伴的长期工作机会，并支持参加UVI的海洋和环境科学硕士课程，（2）增加STEM职业兴趣，准备和社区意识，并通过这些学位后的机会和其他支持结构，如指导，安置协议，通过当地和专业协会会议建立网络，（3）通过创建新的专业网络，将参与者相互联系并与额外的资源，专业知识和导师联系起来，以及（4）加强UVI和在该地区内外运营的STEM劳动力合作伙伴之间的现有伙伴关系并建立新的伙伴关系，同时建设地方和国家的STEM劳动力能力。该项目将利用由维尔京群岛EPSCoR和NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance开发的伙伴关系，计划和资源，并建立在该联盟的早期成功和基础设施上。这个项目为许多代表性不足的学位后接受者，特别是那些受COVID-19大流行影响不成比例的人，填补了一个关键的不确定时期。通过建立STEM职业安置（短期，长期和毕业生），该项目将有助于减轻STEM劳动力的损失和接受者的职业不确定性。该项目有潜力成为该地区、其他EPSCoR管辖区和国家扩大STEM参与的示范项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。