This project is being supported under a special funding focus for STEP, "Graduate 10K+," an activity of the National Science Foundation, supported in part by donations from the Intel Foundation and the GE Foundation, to stimulate comprehensive action at universities and colleges to help increase the annual number of new B.S. graduates in engineering and computer science by 10,000 over the next decade. In particular, this project is addressing preparation, retention and graduation of engineering and computer-science students at the University of Texas - Pan American, primarily through four activities: 1) a STEM-focused concurrent-enrollment program for area high-school students, 2) a summer bridge program for entering UTPA first-year students, emphasizing mathematics preparation, 3) supplemental instruction in gatekeeper courses for STEM majors, and 4) augmented peer mentoring and tutoring. The intellectual merit of the project lies in its multifaceted approach that is leveraging best practices from the STEM educational literature, and also is building on considerable prior efforts and strong partnerships with area schools and with South Texas College, a two-year institution. Beyond the projected increases in engineering and computer-science graduates, broader impacts include strengthening the workforce for an emerging hub in advanced manufacturing in Rio South Texas, as well as support for greater educational and economic achievement in a high-needs region. The project is also providing a model of national interest for greater success and degree attainment by Hispanic students in STEM.
