STEM BUILD@UMBC: Overall Component

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Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): R o U S , P h i l i p J a m e S PROJECT SUMMARY - Overall Component The goal ofthe proposed STEM BUILD{gUMBC initiative is to create a comprehensive, multidimensional model for a public research university to increase the number of students from all backgrounds completing majors in the biomedical and behavioral sciences and entering graduate school and/or the STEM workforce. Through the nationally recognized Meyerhoff Scholars and MARC U*STAR programs, and other initiatives focused on increasing minority participation in STEM, UMBC faculty, staff, and administrators have learned key lessons about the importance of building community among aspiring STEM majors, setting high expectations, and providing students with significant research experiences and academic, financial, and social support. UMBC is nationally recognized as a model of innovation and inclusive excellence, and the campus is the leader among predominantly white institutions - and 6* among all universities - in the number of African American bachelor's degree recipients who go on to complete STEM Ph.D.s, with two-thirds of those alumni completing Ph.D.s in the life sciences (NSF, 2013). Lessons from existing diversity initiatives will inform UMBC's efforts to further infuse mentoring, support, and student engagement into the undergraduate degree experience. UMBC will invest in a range of pedagogical innovations promoting "active learning," develop new models for engaging students in research and connecting them with mentors, and create a cohort-based program for students interested in the life sciences and at risk for retention in STEM majors or college completion. The program's evaluation component will provide opportunities to maximize effectiveness of BUILD@UMBC initiatives and to publish findings regarding optimal strategies for helping significantly more students succeed in STEM areas. Infrastructure investments at UMBC will expand the university's capacity to provide a high level support to students in jeopardy of attrition from STEM through interventions that are scalable, sustainable, and reproducible. Specifically, comprehensive, long-term NRSA support is requested for 80 BUILD Trainees and short-term summer hourly support is requested for up to 90 BUILD Affiliates from partner institutions in this initiative. RELEVANCE (See instructions): The STEM BUILD(gUMBC initiative is based on the premise that large numbers of students from all backgrounds have the capacity to excel in the life sciences and make valuable contributions as members of the country's scientific workforce. Building on existing models for student engagement and success, the initiative will provide important insights into innovative practices to help a broad range of students succeed.