Scholarships To Attract and Retain Students in Graduate Engineering and Computer Science Programs

这个为期五年的项目将提供奖学金，以支持30名低收入、成绩优异的STEM研究生取得成功，并证明他们有经济需求。帮助这些学生获得高级学位将有助于国家对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求。这些奖学金将支持正在攻读计算机科学或工程硕士学位的学生。除了提供财政支持外，该项目还将通过队列建设活动、研究生支持服务、研讨会、暑期实习和指导来支持学者项目的成功。田纳西州立大学是一所历史悠久的黑人学院或大学，学生来自STEM领域代表性不足的群体。因此，该项目有助于扩大对STEM职业的参与，这是一个具有国家和地区重要性的目标。该项目的主要目标是增加在田纳西州立大学获得工程学或计算机科学硕士学位的学业成绩优异的低收入学生的数量。为实现这一目标，该项目将开展循证活动，支持招收和留住攻读硕士学位的研究生。这些活动包括：一个包含学术陈述、职业规划和专业发展的系列研讨会和研究生座谈会；一个新的工程和计算机科学研究生小组，以鼓励学生之间的社交和智力联系；与行业合作伙伴的暑期实习；以及一个新的工程学生迎新计划，以适应大学的新研究生，并促进学生群体之间的联系。将对这些活动的有效性进行分析，以确定招聘、留住和高级学位毕业的负担和障碍。该项目可作为工程和计算机科学研究生学位课程吸引和留住学生的典范，包括代表人数较少的少数族裔学生。因此，本项目将调查：(1)参与项目活动在多大程度上缓和了学者的经历、幸福感和未来的职业规划；(2)少数族裔学生的代表性不足(如果适用)在多大程度上影响了学者的经历、福祉和未来的职业规划；以及(3)获得关于学术生涯的在线、文化响应的辅导是否会影响硕士课程的满意度、对攻读STEM博士学位的兴趣，和/或对追求STEM教职的兴趣。研究成果将为工程和计算机科学提供信息，扩大其他研究人员和利益攸关方参与STEM研究生教育的努力。该项目由NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加获得STEM领域学位的低收入、学业成就高、有经济需求的学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来科学家、工程师和技术人员的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学术成功、留住、转移、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

This five-year project will provide scholarships to support the success of thirty low-income, high-achieving STEM graduate students with demonstrated financial need. Helping these students earn advanced degrees will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians. The scholarships will support students who are pursuing master's degrees in computer science or engineering. In addition to providing financial support, the project will support the success of the Scholars through cohort building activities, graduate student support services, seminars, summer internships, and mentoring. Tennessee State University is an Historically Black College or University, with a high population of students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Thus, this project can contribute to broadening participation in STEM careers, a goal with national and regional importance.The major objective of this project is to increase the number of academically high-achieving, low-income students who obtain a master's degree in engineering or computer science at Tennessee State University. To accomplish this goal, the project will implement evidence-based activities that support recruitment and retention of graduate students pursuing master's degrees. These activities include: a seminar series and graduate student symposium that incorporate scholarly presentations, career planning, and professional development; a new engineering and computer science graduate student group to encourage social and intellectual connections among students; summer internships with industry partners; and a new engineering student orientation program to acclimate new graduate students to the University and facilitate connections among student cohorts. The effectiveness of these activities will be analyzed to identify affordances and barriers to recruitment, retention, and graduation with an advanced degree. This project may serve as a model for attracting and retaining students, including underrepresented minority students, in engineering and computer science graduate degree programs. As such, this project will investigate: (1) the extent to which participating in the project activities moderates the Scholar's experiences, well-being, and future career plans; (2) the extent to which being an underrepresented minority student, if applicable, impacts the Scholar's experiences, well-being, and future career plans; and (3) whether access to online, culturally responsive coaching about academic careers affects satisfaction in the master's program, interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in STEM, and/or interest in pursuing STEM faculty positions. Research findings will inform engineering and computer science broadening participation efforts by other researchers and stakeholders in STEM graduate education. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income 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.