Investigating and Fostering STEM Entrepreneurship Among Racially Minoritized Undergraduate Students

由于各种因素，如获得创业教育的机会有限，缺乏资金来源，以及歧视性的社会网络，种族少数（RM）企业家面临着重大挑战。该项目旨在调查RM和非RM学生的创业精神，同时实施干预措施来解决这些问题。该项目将使用全面的调查和焦点小组来探索RM和非RM学生在STEM创业方面的动机、态度、实践、行为和之前的经验。该项目将利用这项研究的结果，在创业方面提供量身定制的培训、研讨会和指导，以解决边缘化群体面临的具体挑战。鉴于STEM领域对美国及其经济的未来至关重要，多元化STEM对促进创新至关重要。该项目具有直接的公共利益，因为它旨在确保公平获得成功创业的回报，从而提高STEM生态系统的创新和创造力。指导这个项目的理论框架是公平伦理（McGee, 2020）。调查将在项目的第一年进行。该计划的其他活动包括夏季虚拟培训、为期三天的面对面峰会，包括专利研讨会以及为选定的参与者提供额外的深入专利指导。此外，在第五年，将指派商业教练帮助潜在的企业家成立公司。最终目标是培养下一代RM企业主，并促进他们融入STEM生态系统。目标受众的预期结果包括几个目标：建立有限责任公司（llc），提高STEM领域种族少数群体（RM）的保留率，通过企业所有权创造金融繁荣，促进挑战系统性种族主义的STEM创新，开发针对RM个人的创业课程，以及增加积极为更公平的STEM生态系统做出贡献的RM STEM企业家的数量。该项目由STEM教育中的种族平等活动（EDU种族平等）资助。该活动支持研究和实践项目，调查种族平等因素如何影响科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育和劳动力的改善。获奖项目旨在将STEM企业中受系统性不平等影响最大的个人、社区和机构的声音、知识和经验集中起来。这项活动符合美国国家科学基金会的核心价值，即支持来自全国不同人口群体、地区和组织类型的杰出研究人员和创新思想家。EDU的项目为种族平等活动提供资金，以表彰其项目与董事会四个部门的集体研究和发展重点相一致。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。

Racially minoritized (RM) entrepreneurs face significant challenges due to various factors, such as limited access to entrepreneurship education, a lack of capital sources, and discriminatory social networks. This project aims to investigate entrepreneurship among both RM and non-RM students, while also implementing interventions to address these issues. The project will use comprehensive survey and focus groups to explore RM and non-RM students’ motivations, attitudes, practices, behaviors, and prior experience in STEM entrepreneurship. The project will use the findings from this study to provide tailored training, workshops, and coaching in entrepreneurship to address the specific challenges faced by marginalized groups. Given that STEM fields are crucial to the future of the US and its economy, diversifying STEM is essential for fostering innovation. This project holds direct public interest, as it seeks to ensure equitable access to the rewards of successful entrepreneurship, thereby improving innovation and creativity of the STEM ecosystem. The theoretical framework guiding this project is the Equity Ethic (McGee, 2020). The survey will be conducted in year 1 of the project. Other activities in the program include summer virtual training, three-day in-person summits consisting of patent workshops and additional in-depth patent coaching for select participants. Additionally, in the fifth year, business coaches will be assigned to aid potential entrepreneurs with business incorporation. The ultimate objective is to train the next generation of RM business owners and facilitate their integration into the STEM ecosystem. The intended outcomes for the target audience encompass several goals: establishing limited liability companies (LLCs), increasing the retention rate of racially minoritized (RM) groups in STEM fields, generating financial prosperity through business ownership, promoting STEM innovation that challenges systemic racism, developing an entrepreneurship curriculum tailored for RM individuals, and augmenting the pool of RM STEM entrepreneurs who actively contribute to a more equitable STEM ecosystem.This project is funded through the Racial Equity in STEM Education activity (EDU Racial Equity). The activity supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise. This activity aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations. Programs across EDU contribute funds to the Racial Equity activity in recognition of the alignment of its projects with the collective research and development thrusts of the four divisions of the directorate.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.