This project is awarding scholarships of $3,125 per year for 4 years to 30 talented low-income, full-time students to obtain degrees in computer science, engineering, or mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The recruitment efforts specifically target low-income students in these populations: women, minorities, first generation students, and students from rural communities. The objectives are to increase the academic and graduation success among low-income students; to increase the number of students in the target populations who earn baccalaureate degrees in a CSEMS discipline; to help place all of the students before their senior year in a meaningful summer or semester internship, a research experience, or a career related job; to provide a sound basis on which the students can make informed and reasonable career choices; and to prepare students for successful entry into a career upon graduation.
The Offices of Admissions, Scholarships and Financial Aid, Minority Affairs as well as the Colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences all help to identify and recruit qualified students for the program. Key faculty in the CSEMS disciplines have volunteered their time to help foster a connection between the CSEMS students and the departments. Freshmen are required to participate in one of four very successful retention programs. Freshmen and sophomores are assigned a junior or senior CSEMS mentor. These together with a weekly CSEMS seminar form the backbone of the CSEMS learning community.
The broader impacts of the program lie in its effect on the target population. According to a survey conducted this year, 22% of UNL's undergraduates are first generation college students. There are a large number of high-achieving students with financial need. Nebraska's cultural and racial minority population has grown by more than 150% in the last ten years. About 30% of Nebraskans live in rural communities. The CSEMS program will accelerate the transition of this population to careers in the highly marketable, technical employment sector. It offers a chance for rural Nebraska to develop its potential for technical industrial growth.
The intellectual merit of the program lies in the sharing of academic and career interests in the weekly seminar and through the mentors. At the seminar senior CSEMS students present the results of their junior/senior projects, research, and internships; and faculty share their ideas for undergraduate and professional research. This encourages all CSEMS students to take advantage of the many opportunities for research and internships, either off campus in industry or summer programs or on campus through senior projects, faculty mentors, the UNL UCARE undergraduate research program, the Ronald McNair summer REU, and the NSF funded Nebraska REU in Applied Mathematics.
