Planning Pathways to a Diverse Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Workforce in Northeastern and South-Central Pennsylvania

该项目将通过支持宾夕法尼亚州立大学哈里斯堡分校、宾夕法尼亚州立大学威尔克斯-巴雷分校、哈里斯堡地区社区学院和卢塞恩县社区学院中表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为全国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。除了这四家机构外，广泛的学术、工业、经济和劳动力经济发展合作伙伴也将参与这一规划项目。这个合作规划项目将为来自宾夕法尼亚州11个高需求和少数民族学区的工人和学生开发科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）途径，使他们能够获得教育项目和服务，为他们成功的STEM职业生涯做好准备。在过去十年中，高增长走廊的技术产业发展显著增加，包括物流、先进制造业、可再生能源等国家高需求领域。这些规划活动将为低收入学生提供支持，并为他们提供无缝衔接的途径和过渡，包括(1)工程技术、工程、计算机科学、信息技术、生物、化学和数学专业的副学士到学士学位，以及(2)工程、计算机科学和信息技术专业的学士到研究生学位。该项目的另一个新颖元素是创业培训，以帮助所有STEM学生为参与创新经济做好准备。该规划项目的总体目标是建立一个多机构合作伙伴关系，以提高有经济需求的低收入、高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。具体而言，该项目旨在通过以下方式增进对学生、家庭、社区和机构所需资源的理解：通过(1)开展机构和社区需求评估，为规划和研究提供信息；(2)加强参与机构之间的正式关系并阐明协议，以促进途径；(3)确定符合文化的招聘和保留策略；(4)让行业和经济发展伙伴参与进来，与潜在雇主建立关系；(5)在目标STEM路径中纳入技术创业计划，以提供毕业后机会的多样性。该项目的完成将导致战略计划的发展，以帮助低收入学生进入和完成STEM教育课程。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识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 Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg Area Community College, and Luzerne County Community College. In addition to these four institutions, a wide range of academic, industry, and economic and workforce economic development partners serving the region will be engaged in this planning project. This collaborative planning project will develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways for workers and students from eleven high-need and minority serving Pennsylvania school districts to access educational programs and services that prepare them for successful STEM careers. The targeted high-growth corridor has seen significant increases in technology industry development over the past decade, including in areas of high national need such as logistics, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and others. The planning activities will lead to low-income student supports and seamless pathways and transitions across the (1) associate-to bachelor’s levels in engineering technology, engineering, computer science, information technologies, biology, chemistry, and mathematics, and (2) bachelor’s-to-graduate level in engineering, computer science, and information technology. Another novel element of the project is entrepreneurship training to help prepare all STEM students to participate in the innovation economy. The overall goal of this planning project is to establish a multi-institution collaborative partnership to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Specifically, this project aims to advance understanding of the resources needed by students, families, communities, and institutions to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation of low-income students from STEM programs by (1) conducting institutional and community needs assessments to inform programming and research, (2) strengthening formal relationships and articulating agreements across participating institutions to facilitate pathways, (3) identifying culturally responsive recruitment and retention strategies, (4) involving industry and economic development partners to build relationships with prospective employers, and (5) incorporating techno-entrepreneurship programming in the targeted STEM pathways to provide diversity in post-graduation opportunity. Completion of this project will result in the development of a strategic plan to assist low-income students in entering and completing STEM education programs. 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.