Financial and Academic Supports for Talented Students to Promote Equitable Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

该项目将为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做出贡献，支持埃弗雷特社区学院留住和毕业有学术天赋的低收入学生，并证明他们有经济需求。在为期六年的时间里，该项目将为大约60名正在攻读生物、计算机科学、化学、工程、环境科学、地质学、数学和/或物理副学士学位的独特学生提供奖学金。学者们将通过定期聚会建立社区，并将通过基于项目的学习机会、“转移圆桌会议”系列研讨会和访问行业合作伙伴来探索机会。项目努力的核心是有目的地提供教职员工发展以及校友、同行和学者的教职员工指导。该项目还将设计学术卓越研讨会(AEW)，以支持学生在早期物理、化学、生物、计算机科学和工程课程方面的成果。AEW已经在数学课程中为学生提供了支持，AEW是一个1学分的研讨会，在这个研讨会上，学者们将能够在相关课程的同时获得额外的额外接触特别具有挑战性的主题。每个项目组成部分都将由不同的教职员工团队进行调整或重新设计，以支持有才华的低收入社区学院STEM学生更高的留校率、毕业率和转校率。教职员工将致力于专业发展，旨在促进合作，并建立对学者的经验、优势和需求的共同理解。每年将围绕选定的主题组织专业发展，以鼓励更深入地考虑该项目如何通过课程设计、改进的咨询做法和其他社区建设活动促进公平。这一共享的经验将使参与的教职员工能够完善和加强学术、社会和专业支持的关键来源。此外，通过与社区合作伙伴的接触、专业发展研讨会和活动，职业接触将为有才华的STEM学生提供必要的技能和支持，使他们能够在要求严格的课程中取得成功，并将他们吸引到植根于人人平等参与的科学的兴奋中。将仔细评估为本计划创建或修改的课程、计划要素和支持服务，以评估它们对学生招生、学习以及转到4年制院校或就业安置的影响。该计划将进一步调查注入公平的学生体验对学生在STEM和生活选择中的轨迹有多大影响。该项目由NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入学术天才学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学业成功、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 project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of academically talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Everett Community College. Over its six-year duration, this project will provide scholarships to approximately 60 unique students who are pursuing an associate’s degree in biology, computer science, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, geology, mathematics and or physics. Scholars will build community through regular gatherings and will explore opportunities through project-based learning opportunities, a “transfer roundtable” seminar series, and visits to industry partners. Central to the projects efforts is a purposeful offering of faculty and staff development along with alumni, peer and faculty mentorship of scholars. The project will also design Academic Excellence Workshops (AEWs) to support student outcomes in early physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering courses. Already in place to support students in mathematics courses, AEWs are 1-credit seminars where scholars will be able to gain extra additional exposure to particularly challenging topics in parallel with an associated class. Each of the project components will be adapted or newly designed by a diverse team of faculty and staff to support increased retention, completion and transfer rates of talented, low-income community college STEM students. Faculty and staff will engage in professional development designed to promote collaboration and build a shared understanding of scholars’ experiences, strengths and needs. Professional development will be organized each year around a theme selected to encourage deeper consideration of how the project might promote equity through curriculum design, enhanced advising practices, and other community-building activities. This shared experience will allow participating faculty and staff to refine and strengthen key sources of academic, social and professional support. In addition, career exposure through engagement with community partners, professional development workshops and activities will give talented STEM students the skills and support necessary to succeed in a demanding curriculum and draw them into the excitement of science rooted in equitable participation for all. Courses, program elements, and support services created or modified for the purpose of this program will be carefully evaluated to assess their impact on student recruitment, learning, and either transfer to a 4-year institution or placement in the workforce. This program will further investigate how impactful an equity-infused student experience is on a student’s trajectory in STEM and life choices. 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 talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, 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.