Increasing the Participation of First-generation and Underrepresented Students in the Sciences

该项目支持东华盛顿大学（EWU）表现出学术潜力、STEM动机和经济需求的高年级本科生群体。指导目标是：1)通过每年向9名学生颁发奖学金，改善STEM学科的教育机会；2)通过提供更多的教师指导和专业的学生支持服务来提高学位成就；3)在机构实践中建立能力，以增加STEM学生和第一代和/或代表性不足的少数民族学生的保留率；4)建立和维持社区伙伴关系，提高EWU的知名度，为学生提供培训和就业机会。值得注意的项目实施组件包括指导、财政支持和丰富活动，旨在提高学术整合、动机、对STEM的认同以及毕业后的保留。学生来自三个专业：生物学、生物化学和环境科学，这允许：(1)探索STEM的跨学科性质，以及(2)更好地匹配区域劳动力需求与机构/行业合作伙伴。通过激励和支持相结合的计划来鼓励STEM劳动力的多样性，以帮助招募学生，其中许多人是第一代大学生和/或STEM中代表性不足群体的成员。最后，该项目通过队伍建设丰富活动提供多种指导经验，包括专业发展、职业规划、信息素养和公民参与。

This project is supporting cohorts of upper division undergraduates at Eastern Washington University (EWU) who demonstrate academic potential, motivation for STEM, and financial need. Guiding objectives are: 1) to improve educational opportunities in the STEM disciplines by annually awarding scholarships to nine students; 2) to increase degree achievement by providing increased faculty mentoring and access to specialized student support services; 3) to build capacity in institutional practices that increase the retention of STEM students and of first generation and/or underrepresented minority students; and 4) to create and maintain community partnerships that increase EWU's visibility and generate training and employment opportunities for the students. Notable project implementation components include mentoring, financial support, and enrichment activities designed to increase academic integration, motivation, identification with STEM, and retention to graduation. Students are recruited from three majors: Biology, Biochemistry, and Environmental Science which allows for: (1) an exploration of the interdisciplinary nature of STEM on the part of the cohort of scholarship recipients and (2) better matching of regional workforce needs with agency/industry partners. Encouragement of diversity in the STEM workforce is promoted through a combined incentive and support program to help recruit students, many of whom are first-generation college attendees and/or members of underrepresented groups in STEM. Finally, the project offers multiple mentoring experiences through cohort-building enrichment activities that include professional development, career planning, information literacy and civic engagement.