Affording Opportunities for Sustained Success of STEM Students

俄亥俄州阿克伦市阿克伦大学的国家科学基金会（NSF）科学、技术、工程和数学（S-STEM）奖学金项目将为具有经济需求和学术才能的科学、数学、工程或技术（STEM）学生提供奖学金。这些学者将攻读生物医学工程、化学与生物分子工程、土木工程、电气与计算机工程、生物学、数学、化学或地质学等领域的学士学位。来自俄亥俄州经济最落后的阿巴拉契亚地区的学生将被积极招募。通过该项目，奖学金获得者将发展个人和专业技能，以确保他们在工作场所取得成功。该项目允许阿克伦大学提供奖学金，直接解决国家关注的一个领域：保持美国在高科技行业的竞争力。为那些学习成绩优秀的学生提供奖学金，否则他们可能无法负担大学费用，这将增加准备支持国家、地区和地方公司的毕业生人数。该项目的成功将培养出训练有素的劳动力，为俄亥俄州和全国的经济增长做出贡献。该项目将提供一系列学生支持活动，包括stem特定的学习社区、特定队列的实验室、团队建设教育活动、特定队列的学术咨询和指导；并研究奖学金获得者的具体课程机会。这些集体支持和项目活动将提高学生的留校率和毕业率。每个学生都将有一名学术顾问和一名STEM教师顾问。在前两年，一个学习社区将用于促进学生在学年和为期一周的实验室和团队建设活动之间的互动。在他们大三的时候，学生们将在一门一学分的课程中相遇，计划一个跨学科的设计项目，以及接受职业规划和建议。学者的项目将在大四的一学分课程中完成。项目将涉及生物技术或环境应用。评估和评估将深入了解学生奖学金、职业发展活动以及教师指导和建议的保留好处。从项目评估数据中获得的经验教训和有效实践将广泛传播到STEM教育界，并有助于提高对成功的学生奖学金和支持项目的属性和实践的广泛理解。

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio will provide scholarships to science, mathematics, engineering, or technology (STEM) students with demonstrated financial need and academic talent. These scholars will pursue bachelor's degrees in the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry or Geology. Students from Appalachia, the most economically disadvantaged area in Ohio, will be actively recruited. Through the program, scholarship recipients will develop personal and professional skills to ensure that they will be successful in the workplace. The program allows the University of Akron to offer scholarships to directly address an area of national concern: maintaining US competitiveness in high technology industries. Scholarships for academically strong students, who may not otherwise be able to afford college, will increase the number of graduates prepared to support national, regional, and local companies. The success of the program will produce a well-trained workforce that will contribute to the economic growth of Ohio and the nation.The program will provide a range of student support activities including a STEM-specific learning community, cohort specific laboratories, a team building educational event, cohort specific academic advising and mentoring; and research specific course opportunities for scholarship recipients. These collective support and programmatic activities will increase the retention and graduation rates of students. Each student will have both an academic advisor and STEM faculty advisor. In the first two years, a learning community will be used to facilitate interaction between students during both the academic year and a weeklong laboratory and team building activity. During their junior year, students will meet in a one-credit course to plan an interdisciplinary design project, as well as receive career planning and advising. The scholars' projects will be completed in a one-credit course during the senior year. Projects will address a biotechnology or environmental application. Assessment and evaluation will provide insight into the retention benefits of student scholarships, career development activities, and faculty mentoring and advising. Lessons learned and effective practices that emerge from the program evaluation data will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community and help increase widespread understanding of the attributes and practices of successful student scholarship and support programs.