Supporting Talented, Low-Income Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Chemistry and Biochemistry through Career Explorations, Research Experiences, and Scholarships

该项目将通过支持中田纳西州立大学（一所位于田纳西州默弗里斯伯勒的公立研究型大学）化学专业的优秀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。该项目为期6年，将为多达60名理科硕士学生提供奖学金。招收90名攻读化学或生物化学学士学位的全日制大三和大四学生。该项目旨在通过将奖学金与行之有效的支持活动联系起来，提高学生在STEM领域的坚持度，这些活动包括教师和同伴指导、研究经验、专业发展课程、研究生院和就业准备，以及参加特定学科的会议。在导师和顾问的帮助下，学生将为职业目标制定个人计划，并为实现这些目标制定步骤。与教师导师、同行导师和专业顾问接触的机会将使学者在应对专业、社会和财务挑战时获得支持。项目研究和评估活动将探讨项目的指导、参与和学者支持对低收入学生的学业成果和职业发展方向的影响。该项目的总体目标是提高低收入、成绩优异、有经济需求的学士和硕士学生及时完成学位。该项目的具体目标是为学者提供高影响力的科学和专业发展机会。鼓励本科生每年选择2个研究学分或从事（有偿）暑期研究；研究生们将参与一篇成功论文的研究。与行业专业人士和校友建立联系，在招聘会上与雇主互动，参加研讨会，文献讨论和其他部门活动也将受到鼓励。项目团队将收集和分析有关学业成功、学生参与度和自我效能感的定性和定量研究数据，以探索支持低收入和代表性不足的学者为未来职业做准备的策略。一项独立的评估工作将评估项目在满足学者不断变化的需求方面的有效性，并与项目研究一起促进活动、发现和成果的广泛传播。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 in chemistry with demonstrated financial need at Middle Tennessee State University, a public research university in Murfreesboro, TN. Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships for up to 60 unique Master of Science (MS) students, and up to 90 full time junior and senior students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Chemistry or Biochemistry. The project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields by linking scholarships with proven effective supporting activities, including faculty and peer mentoring, research experiences, professional development courses, graduate school and employment preparation, and participation in discipline-specific conferences. With the help of mentors and advisors, scholars will create individual plans for career goals and steps toward achieving those goals. Opportunities to engage with faculty mentors, peer mentors, and professional advisors will allow scholars to find support as they navigate professional, social, and financial challenges. Project research and evaluation activities will explore the impact of the project’s mentoring, engagement, and scholar support components on academic outcomes and career directions for low-income students. The overall goal of the project is to increase timely degree completion for low-income, high-achieving BS and MS students with demonstrated financial need. The specific aims of the project are to deliver high impact scientific and professional development opportunities to scholars. Undergraduate scholars will be encouraged to select two credits of research per year or engage in (paid) summer research; and graduate scholars will participate in research leading to a successful thesis. Networking with industry professionals and alumni, interacting with employers at career fairs, and participating in seminars, literature discussions, and other departmental events will also be encouraged. The project team will collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative research data on academic success, student engagement, and self-efficacy to explore strategies to support low income and underrepresented scholars as they prepare for their future careers. An independent evaluation effort will assess the effectiveness of the project at meeting the evolving needs of scholars and, along with project research, contribute to the broad dissemination of activities, findings, and outcomes. 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.