Career Launch in Engineering Scholarship Program (Career Launch)

职业启动工程奖学金计划（职业启动）的目标是显著减少S-STEM职业启动学者在校外工作的时间，以帮助他们毕业并减少完成学位所需的时间。Career Launch还将通过三组Career Launch学者创建一个系统的同行指导项目。该项目将满足工业界对高素质STEM专业人员的需求，特别是在太平洋和内陆西北地区。爱达荷州主要是一个农村州；然而，许多高科技公司在州内或周边地区都有大型设施，他们对训练有素的STEM专业人员有持续的需求。该项目将为学生开发新的招聘途径、保留和支持机制，并为毕业生提供就业机会，这将使爱达荷大学在这些行业可用的STEM专业人员的质量和数量方面产生重大影响。该项目的重点是减少或消除职业启动学生在学年期间必须花在外部工作上的时间，并通过同伴和教师指导和丰富活动增加学生的支持。职业启动有三个可衡量的目标：(1)显著减少校外工作时间；(2)建立系统的辅导计划，为学生创造社区意识；(3)保留至少22名完成学位的职业启动学者。该计划的目标将通过(1)高素质学生的识别，(2)队列发展，(3)同伴指导计划的实施，(4)工程学术成就，以及(5)结果导向的评估来实现。具体的组成部分包括同伴指导和群体建设活动，如社会、研究和定向活动。学者们将在第二年成为同侪导师，并形成一个全校范围的同侪指导计划。该项目与美国国家科学基金会刺激竞争性研究实验计划（EPSCoR）的几个目标一致，因此它得到了该计划的部分共同资助。

The goal of the Career Launch in Engineering Scholarship Program (Career Launch) will be to significantly reduce the number of hours the S-STEM Career Launch scholars need to work outside of school as a means to help retain them to graduation and reduce time to degree completion. Career Launch will also create a systematic peer-mentoring program through the three cohorts of Career Launch scholars. This project will address the need for highly qualified STEM professionals in industry, especially in the Pacific and Inland Northwest. Idaho is largely a rural state; however, a variety of high tech companies have large facilities within the state or surrounding areas, and they have an ongoing need for highly trained STEM professionals. This project will develop new recruiting pathways, retention, and support mechanisms for students, and placement efforts for graduates that will enable the University of Idaho to make a significant difference in terms of the quality and quantity of STEM professionals available to these industries.The focus of the project will be on decreasing or eliminating the time that Career Launch students must spend at external jobs during the school year as well as increasing student support through peer and faculty mentoring and enrichment activities. Career Launch has three measurable objectives: (1) reduce the number of hours worked outside of school by a significant amount; (2) build a systematic mentoring program that will create a sense of community for the students; and (3) retain to degree completion a minimum of 22 Career Launch Scholars. The program objectives will be achieved through (1) identification of high-quality students, (2) cohort development, (3) peer-mentoring program implementation, (4) engineering academic achievement, and (5) outcome-oriented evaluation. Specific components include peer-mentoring and cohort-building activities such as social, research, and orientation activities. Scholars will become peer-mentors in their second year and form a college-wide peer-mentoring program.This project aligns with several of the goals of the NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) hence it is receiving partial co-funding from that program.