Supporting Graduation and Transfer of Community College Students in STEM Through Opportunities in Research

在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，该项目将支持巴伦西亚学院的高成就、低收入学生，他们有经济上的需求。巴伦西亚学院是一所两年制学院，也是一所为拉美裔服务的机构。缺乏知识和技能，加上获得教育资源的机会有限，是许多低收入、成绩优异的学生在STEM学术和职业道路上取得成功的重大障碍。S-STEM项目旨在通过在巴伦西亚学院创建STEM支持计划，加强和多样化大学STEM学位的完成，并最终实现STEM劳动力的多样化。该项目将为低收入、有学术天赋的学生在大学早期阶段提供全面的支持，重点是STEM研究、指导、课程作业和支持STEM学位完成的建议。该项目旨在建立一个STEM研究社区，以培养学生的发展，并鼓励继续STEM教育和职业生涯。在五年的资助期间，该项目将为30名攻读生物、化学、计算机科学、工程或物理转学途径的副学士学位的学生提供60个为期一年的奖学金。成功转到四年制STEM学士学位课程的学生将获得一次性奖学金，以支持他们的学习。由于巴伦西亚学院有独特的非传统学生人口结构，包括相当多的低收入学生，该项目将解决低收入学生完成STEM学位的现有差距。该项目将通过确定中学后研究经验、支持网络和奖学金援助的最佳条件来实现这一目标，以最大限度地促进学生在STEM中坚持到成功转学。该项目的目标是：1)增加STEM学位途径中低收入、有学术天赋的学生的入学率和多样性；2)采用基于证据的做法，并利用现有资源创建可持续的学生支持模式；3)通过促进全日制入学和获得学位的综合支持服务提高学生成功率；以及4)帮助学生转到四年制学位课程，并支持他们获得高年级本科研究。该项目将通过一项研究研究来促进知识的发展，研究重点是在一所两年制院校的本科研究中早期经验的影响，以及早期干预措施，包括纳入成长心态干预措施的指导做法。该项目将传播这些成果，为其他高等教育机构可以适应的课程方法和教育实践的设计提供信息，以支持低收入、有学术天赋的STEM学位寻求者。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Valencia College, a two-year college and Hispanic-Serving Institution. Lack of knowledge and skills combined with limited access to educational resources are significant barriers to the success of many low-income, high-achieving students in STEM academic and career pathways. This S-STEM project aims to strengthen and diversify collegiate STEM degree completion and, ultimately, the STEM workforce by creating a STEM support program at Valencia College. This project will provide low-income, academically talented students with comprehensive wrap-around support early in their college experience, with emphasis on STEM research, mentoring, coursework, and advising to support STEM degree completion. The project aims to generate a STEM research community that nurtures student development and encourages continuation in STEM education and careers. Over the five years of funding, the project will provide 60 one-year scholarships to 30 students pursuing associate degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, or physics transfer pathways. Students who successfully transfer to a four-year STEM baccalaureate program will receive a one-time scholarship to support their studies. Since Valencia College has unique, non-traditional student demographics, including a considerable population of low-income students, the project will address existing disparities of low-income student completion in STEM degrees. The project will accomplish this goal by determining optimal conditions for the post-secondary research experiences, the support network, and scholarship assistance to maximize positive impact on student persistence in STEM to successful transfer. The goals of the project are to: 1) increase the enrollment and diversity of low-income, academically talented students in STEM degree pathways; 2) adapt evidence-based practices and leverage existing resources to create a sustainable student support model; 3) increase student success rates through integrated support services promoting full-time enrollment and degree attainment; and 4) assist student transfer to four-year degree programs and support them to gain access to upper division undergraduate research. The project will advance knowledge through a research study focusing on the impact of early experiences in undergraduate research at a two-year institution and on early interventions including mentoring practices that incorporate growth mindset interventions. The project will disseminate these results to inform the design of curricular methods and educational practices that other institutions of higher education can adapt to support low-income, academically talented STEM degree-seeking students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.