Springboard to Success: Developing Future Arkansas Scientists

在国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金（S-STEM）计划的资助下，该项目将为有兴趣在阿肯色州的亨德里克斯学院攻读科学的符合佩尔资格的学术天才学生提供财政支持。除了支付所有自付费用外，S-STEM Track 1项目还将提供重要的学术，社会和指导支持，以确保奖学金获得者的成功。这种支持包括指导，专门的住宿，本科研究和实习机会，职业咨询，并接触心理干预证明，以增加成功和保留。通过这个项目，亨德里克斯学院寻求增加低收入学生成功的可能性，其中许多人是第一代大学生，希望打破阿肯色州许多地区普遍存在的贫困循环。来自密西西比河三角洲、阿肯色州河谷和阿肯色州其他农村地区的贫困背景的学生将被招募参加这个“成功的跳板”项目。这些地区有大量的少数民族人口，低收入家庭比例高，高等教育水平低，第一代大学生比例高。这个S-STEM项目的财政支持部分将允许学生在没有直接费用的情况下入学，从而消除了这些经济困难学生上大学的沉重经济负担。此外，每个奖学金获得者将能够参加新生介绍性定向旅行，研讨会课程，STEM指导计划，三年的本科研究或实习，在大二期间参与以STEM为主题的生活和学习社区，以及实地考察STEM研究实验室和行业。 学生还将获得高质量的职业服务计划和个人咨询和指导。 总的来说，这些活动预计将提高亨德里克斯学院STEM领域符合佩尔条件的学生的保留率和学术成就，从而解决重大的制度挑战。 除了提供高质量和增强的本科生体验外，还将评估不同的干预和指导计划，这些计划有可能提高对STEM职业感兴趣的风险学生的成功率。 这些研究的结果将为如何最有效地教育未来符合佩尔资格的STEM学生提供指导，并为关于所谓的“明智”干预措施的有效性的研究文献做出贡献，这些干预措施是促进社区感和归属感的短期有针对性的行动。最后，将在整个项目期间经常进行评估，以确保其有效性，并为今后的加强和扩展提供重要的反馈。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will provide financial support to Pell-eligible, academically talented students interested in pursuing the sciences at Hendrix College in Arkansas. In addition to covering all out-of-pocket expenses, this S-STEM Track 1 project will also provide significant academic, social, and mentoring support to ensure the success of the scholarship recipients. Such support includes mentoring, specialized living accommodations, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, career counseling, and exposure to psychological interventions proven to increase success and retention. Through this project Hendrix College seeks to increase the likelihood of success for low-income students, many of whom are first-generation college students hoping to break the cycle of poverty endemic to many parts of Arkansas. Students from underprivileged backgrounds from the Mississippi River Delta, the Arkansas River Valley, and additional parts of rural Arkansas will be recruited in this "Springboard to Success" project. These areas have significant minority populations, high percentages of low income families, low levels of higher education, and a high proportion of first-generation college students. The financial support component of this S-STEM project will allow students to matriculate at no immediate cost, thus removing a prohibitive financial burden in attending college for these economically disadvantaged students. In addition, each scholarship recipient will be able to participate in a freshmen introductory orientation trip, a seminar course, a STEM mentoring program, three years of undergraduate research or internships, involvement in a STEM-themed living and learning community during their sophomore year, and field trips to STEM research laboratories and industries. Students will also have access to a high-quality career services program and personal advising and mentoring. Collectively, these activities are expected to increase retention and academic achievement of Pell-eligible students in STEM fields at Hendrix College, thus addressing a significant institutional challenge. In addition to providing a high quality and enhanced undergraduate experience, different intervention and mentoring programs that have the potential to increase success of at-risk students interested in a STEM career will be evaluated. The results of these studies will provide guidance for how to most effectively educate future Pell-eligible STEM students and contribute to the research literature on the efficacy of so-called "wise" interventions, which are short, targeted actions that promote a sense of community and belonging. Finally, the use of frequent assessment throughout the project will be used to ensure its effectiveness and provide critical feedback for its enhancement and expansion into the future.