Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention: Energizing and Supporting Students with Diverse Backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering

在美国国家科学基金会科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金（S-STEM）计划的资助下，该项目为低收入家庭的学生提供支持，这些学生有经济需求和学术承诺，可以在马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校（UMBC）的机械工程专业取得成功。随着熟练的婴儿潮一代开始退休并离开劳动力市场，STEM行业面临着迫在眉睫的挑战和机遇。认识到当前和未来对机械工程领域多样化技术劳动力的需求，以及高等教育成本的上升对许多对工程感兴趣的有才华的学生来说是一个障碍，这个S-STEM轨道2（设计与开发）：单一机构)项目将资源和研究集中在财政支持上，并结合课程和课外活动，旨在促进学生获得学位、职业发展和stem相关工作的就业能力。为了支持学生在UMBC获得机械工程学士学位，大约45名学术上有天赋的本科生，包括从马里兰州社区学院转学的学生，将获得每年高达6,000美元的奖学金支持，为期四年。奖学金获得者将参加一系列旨在支持他们成功的综合活动。认识到工程解决社会问题的潜力，该项目吸引学生在本科研究经验，应用机械和生物工程的方法来解决与老龄化有关的人类问题。该项目建立在马里兰大学和马里兰社区学院之间已建立的伙伴关系的基础上，旨在改善和调查社区学院学生转到四年制课程的经验、马里兰大学的学生保留率、就业安置和研究生院和就业途径。一项混合方法的定量和定性研究将审查主动招聘的实施和结果；参与选定的高影响力实践，如定向培训、一对一教师指导、同伴指导和社区建设；参与以研究为重点的活动，如研究研讨会和本科生研究经历；参与职业和专业发展活动。该项目将检查和比较参加项目活动的学生与不参加项目支持和活动的同龄人的结果，如留校、毕业和成功。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project is providing support to low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in mechanical engineering at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). STEM industries face a looming challenge and opportunity as skilled baby boomers begin to retire and leave the workforce. Recognizing current and future needs for a diverse skilled workforce in mechanical engineering and the rising cost of higher education that acts as a barrier for many talented students with interests in engineering, this S-STEM Track 2 (Design and Development: Single Institution) project focuses resources and research on financial support coupled with curricular and co-curricular activities designed to facilitate student degree attainment, career development, and employability in STEM-related jobs. To support student efforts to earn baccalaureate degrees in mechanical engineering at UMBC, approximately forty-five academically talented undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need, including students transferring from Maryland community colleges, will receive scholarship support of up to $6,000 per year for up to four years. Scholarship recipients will participate in an integrated set of activities designed to support their success.Recognizing the potential of engineering to address societal issues, the project engages students in undergraduate research experiences that apply mechanical and bio-engineering approaches to solve human problems associated with aging. The project builds on an established partnership between the UMBC and Maryland community colleges to improve and investigate the transfer experience of community college students to four-year programs, student retention at UMBC, and job placement and pathways to graduate school and employment. A mixed-method quantitative and qualitative research study will examine the implementation and outcomes of proactive recruitment; participation in selected high impact practices, such as orientation, one-to-one faculty mentoring, peer mentoring, and community building; participation in research-focused activities, such as research seminars and undergraduate research experiences; and participation in career and professional development activities. The project will examine and compare outcomes, such as retention, graduation, and success, of students participating in project activities to the outcomes of peers not participating in project supports and activities.