NSF REU Site: Research in Social Inequality and Social Problems

该项目由社会、行为和经济科学理事会 (SBE) 本科生研究经验 (REU) 站点计划资助。德克萨斯农工大学社会学系每年都会让 8 名学生沉浸在为期 8 周的暑期社会科学研究体验中。该网站将从 STEM 领域代表性不足的群体中招募本科生。参与者将与德克萨斯农工大学的教师一起进行研究，加入教师导师正在进行的研究项目。该计划的主要目标是：（1）增加弱势群体本科生的社会科学研究机会； (2) 培养未来劳动力对社会不平等进行复杂的循证分析； （3）提高参与者的科学素养； (4) 通过教育和强化指导，让学生为以研究为重点的学术或非学术职业做好准备。预期的影响是增加学生对研究的理解，并增加来自代表性不足群体的学生接受研究生教育和科学职业生涯的数量。为学生提供研究实践经验、强化指导和研究技能，对社会的好处是扩大代表性不足群体进入高级社会科学研究的渠道，并提高参与者进行独立研究的能力。该项目最重要的智力价值不在于学生在一个夏天对社会科学知识的个人贡献，而在于增加具有有意义的社会科学研究经验和研究兴趣的优秀学生的渠道。每个 REU 参与者的活动包括： 参加夏季研究研讨会，重点关注社会科学理论、方法和实践的实践指导；了解研究生教育机会和科学职业；与导师一起完成研究项目；撰写研究论文；并在专业学术会议上展示他们的研究成果。该 REU 计划旨在让来自弱势群体的学生对以研究为基础的职业的可能性感兴趣，并为他们提供成功所需的技能。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 is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The Department of Sociology at Texas A&M University will immerse 8 students each year in an 8-week summer social science research experience. The site will recruit undergraduates from groups underrepresented in STEM. Participants will conduct research with faculty at Texas A&M, joining a faculty mentor's ongoing research program. The primary objectives of the program are to: (1) increase the social science research opportunities available to undergraduates from underrepresented groups; (2) prepare a future workforce to engage in sophisticated evidence-based analyses of social inequality; (3) increase the scientific literacy of participants; and (4) prepare students for academic or non-academic careers with a research focus through both education and intensive mentoring. The intended impact is to increase students' understanding of research and increase the number of students from underrepresented groups pursuing graduate education and professional careers in science. Providing students with hands-on experience in research, intensive mentoring, and research skills, the benefit to society is to expand the pipeline of underrepresented groups into advanced social science research and increase the ability of participants to conduct independent research. The most important intellectual merit of the program rests not on the students' individual contributions to social science knowledge in one summer, but on increasing the pipeline of talented students with meaningful social science research experiences and interest in research. Activities for each REU participant include: participating in a summer research seminar that will focus on practical instruction in social science theory, methods, and practices; learning about graduate educational opportunities and careers in science; completing a research project with a faculty mentor; writing a research paper; and presenting their research findings at a professional academic conference. This REU program is designed to interest students from underrepresented groups in the possibility of research-based careers and prepare them with the skills necessary to succeed.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.