With the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, will implement a project titled Lincoln's Excellent Academic Program in Science (LEAPS). The main goal of the project is to significantly increase the pool of adequately prepared minority students for degrees in the sciences and mathematics. The project will: 1) Recruit aspiring, but under-prepared, high school seniors to a structured summer bridge program aimed at providing the skills to master the gate-keeping and bottleneck science and mathematics courses; 2) Revise STEM gate-keeping and bottleneck courses; 3) Integrate student research and other active-learning opportunities into STEM curriculum; and 4) Provide undergraduate STEM scholarships and awards.

Intellectual Merit: The project will improve the quality of STEM students through a comprehensive program. Students who successfully complete the summer bridge program will be professionally mentored, counseled, advised and supported throughout their college careers. Students will participate in research internships and be prepared to attend graduate schools upon graduation. Tuition scholarships will be made on a merit basis to allow students to concentrate on their academic work. The project also builds on expertise acquired from the implementation of the LASER, MARC and MASTAP programs at Lincoln University. The project continues the institutions tradition of establishing alliances and partnerships with other universities and research institutions in order to ensure the best possible exposure to the world of research for the faculty and students.

Broader Impact: The project will increase the pool of science and mathematics graduates as well as the number of graduates gaining admission to graduate schools. The proposed program addresses the issues of under-prepared minority students entering college, a group that is steadily growing in number. Data and information generated from this project will improve the general knowledge of science and mathematics education.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Human Resource Development (HRD)
Application #
0411607
Program Officer
Claudia M. Rankins
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2004-09-01
Budget End
2010-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$2,397,450
Indirect Cost
Name
Lincoln University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Lincoln University
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19352