Increase the STEM Pipeline: Investing to Prepare Talented, Low Income Rural Students for Vital STEM Careers

该项目将有助于国家需要受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员，通过支持高成就，低收入的学生在北阿肯色州学院，两年制大学服务于中北部阿肯色州的农村六个县的经济需要的保留和毕业。在五年的时间里，该项目将为28名攻读网络安全、数据科学、信息技术和科学、工程和数学副学士学位的全日制和非全日制学生提供奖学金。全日制学生将获得两年的奖学金支持。每个S-STEM学者将被放置在同一或相关研究领域的学生队列中。队列将共享一对教师和工作人员导师，并将有机会获得更广泛的辅导网络。该项目还将提供职业发展活动。该项目的目标人群是学生，否则他们可能不得不将基本需求置于教育之上。通过减轻经济和其他障碍，这些学生将有机会获得有价值的职业和社会流动性，并将有助于更多样化的STEM劳动力。该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，高成就的本科生的STEM学位完成证明经济需要。具体目标是（1）提供财政支持，减少学生寻求外部就业或增加债务的需要，（2）实施基于证据的课程和课外干预措施，以支持学生参加有针对性的课程，（3）提高项目学生的大学GPA和毕业率，以及（4）定义和传播农村STEM项目学生成功的有效模式。该项目的中心内容是指导网络和职业发展。导师网络，包括干和非干教师，学生支持人员，外部学术和行业合作伙伴，以及学术支持人员，将开发和维护资源和活动，以协助学术和社会需求。职业培训活动，与承诺的雇主合作伙伴的参与，包括简历和求职信的写作，电子投资组合的发展，模拟面试，和STEM职业讲座。外部评估人员将评估项目组成部分的有效性，并概述在农村地区实施的S-STEM示范计划。北阿肯色州学院将使用印刷，广播，网络和社交媒体，以及地方，区域和国家演示来传播该项目的结果。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 North Arkansas College, a two-year college serving a rural six-county area in North Central Arkansas. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 28 unique full- and part-time students who are pursuing associate’s degrees in Cybersecurity; Data Science; Information Technologies; and Science, Engineering, and Math. Full-time students will receive two years of scholarship support. Each S-STEM scholar will be placed in a cohort of students in the same or a related field of study. Cohorts will share a pair of faculty and staff mentors, and will have access to a broader Mentoring Network. This project will also provide career development activities. The target population for this project are students who may otherwise have to prioritize basic needs over education. By alleviating financial and other obstacles, these students will have the opportunity for a rewarding career and social mobility and will contribute to a more diverse STEM workforce.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The specific goals are to (1) provide financial support that will reduce the need for students to seek outside employment or increase their debt, (2) implement evidence-based curricular and co-curricular interventions to support students in the targeted programs, (3) increase the college GPA and graduation rate of students in the project, and (4) define and disseminate an effective model for student success in rural STEM programs. Central aspects of the project are the Mentoring Network and career development. The Mentoring Network, including STEM and non-STEM faculty, student support personnel, external academic and industry partners, and academic support staff, will develop and maintain resources and activities to assist with academic and social needs. Career training activities, with involvement from committed employer partners, include resume and cover letter writing, e-Portfolio development, mock interviews, and STEM career talks. An external evaluator will assess the effectiveness of project components and outline a model S-STEM program for implementation in rural areas. North Arkansas College will disseminate results of this project using print, broadcast, web, and social media, as well as local, regional, and national presentations. 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.