Supporting Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Forensic Science Majors through a Mentorship Network and Career Exploration in STEM

该项目将有助于对受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员的国家需求，通过支持在西顿希尔大学，一所位于宾夕法尼亚州西南部的4年制文科学校，表现出经济需求的高成就，低收入学生的保留和毕业。在6年的时间里，该项目将为15名攻读生物学、生物化学、化学和法医学学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。一年级学生将获得长达四年的奖学金支持。该项目的目的是在一次外联活动中从匹兹堡地区的高中招收经济上处于不利地位和历史上代表性不足的学生。一旦学者被招募，该项目将使用基于小组和一对一的导师活动沿着社交媒体连接的组合。与同伴导师的补充指导将被纳入有机化学课程，这是已知的是在这些专业的学生的障碍。职业探索和机会研讨会将提高对研究和实习机会以及可能的职业道路的认识。参与者将制定个人发展计划（IDP），其中包括对每个学者的独特技能，他们的短期和长期目标，以及实现这些目标的行动步骤的评估。拟议的项目活动将使社会受益，增加来自历史上代表性不足的人群的STEM学生人数，并产生关于如何结合导师策略的知识，包括社交媒体联系，支持这一学生群体的保留和毕业。该项目的总体目标是增加低收入，高成就的本科生的STEM学位完成，并证明经济需要。该项目的三个具体目标是：（1）增加生物学、化学、生物化学和法医学专业中来自代表性不足背景的学生的比例;（2）通过使用创新的导师模式和提供有机化学的同伴辅导，增加学者对其专业的归属感，留住学生;以及（3）提高生物学、化学、生物化学和法医学专业的毕业率，以支持不断增长的地区STEM劳动力。将对拟议的项目进行评估，以更好地了解哪些策略会影响高成就，经济上处于不利地位的STEM专业的招聘，保留和学术成功。特别是，评价将侧重于为期一天的外联和招聘活动的有效性，新颖的导师和社交媒体模式，以及同行领导的有机化学团队学习。该项目还旨在产生有关以职业为重点的系列研讨会和以目标为导向的IDP成功的知识，以提高毕业率和为STEM劳动力做好准备。该项目的成果将在全国会议和地方研讨会上展示，以建立在现有的关于有效的STEM教育实践的研究基础上。该项目由NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。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术成功，保留，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价值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 high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Seton Hill University, a 4-year liberal arts school located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 15 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Forensic Science. First-year students will receive up to four-years of scholarship support. The project aims to recruit students from economically-disadvantaged and historically underrepresented backgrounds from Pittsburgh area high schools during an outreach event. Once scholars are recruited, the project will use a combination of group-based and one-on-one mentorship activities along with a social media connection. Supplemental instruction with a peer mentor will be incorporated in an organic chemistry course that is known to be a barrier for students in these majors. A career exploration and opportunities seminar will increase awareness about research and internship opportunities and about possible career pathways. Participants will develop an individual development plan (IDP) which includes an assessment of each scholar’s unique skills, their short- and long-term goals, and action steps to achieve those goals. The proposed project activities will benefit society by increasing the number of STEM students from historically underrepresented populations and generating knowledge about how the combination of mentorship strategies, including a social media connection, support retention and graduation of this student population.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Three specific aims of the project are to: (1) increase the percentage of students from underrepresented backgrounds majoring in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and forensic science; (2) retain students by increasing the scholars’ sense of belonging in their major using an innovative mentorship model and providing peer tutoring for organic chemistry; and (3) increase the graduation rate of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and forensic science majors to support the growing regional STEM workforce. The proposed project will be assessed to better understand what strategies impact the recruitment, retention, and academic success of high-achieving, economically disadvantaged STEM majors. In particular, evaluation will focus on the effectiveness of a single-day outreach and recruitment activity, the novel mentorship and social media model, and peer-led team learning in organic chemistry. The project also aims to generate knowledge about the success of a career-focused seminar series and goal-orientated IDP for increasing graduation rates and preparedness for the STEM workforce. Results of the project will be presented at national conferences and local workshops to build upon the already existing research on impactful STEM education practices. 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.