This scholarship project aims to increase the number of academically talented, financially needy students in mathematics, biology, computer science, earth science and chemistry -- disciplines with high need for enhanced recruitment and retention and identified by the state of New Jersey as severe workforce shortage areas.
Intellectual Merit: A new cohort of 20 sophomores is identified in each of the first two years of the project and selected to be STEM scholars. Over the next three years, the students are participating in monthly science seminars and closely interacting with the PI, co-PI's, and three other faculty mentors, who provide academic advising, general guidance, and research leadership starting in their junior year. This research experience not only broadens their intellectual pursuits, but it also builds a strong foundation for their overall intellectual growth. In their senior year, scholars participate in special workshops geared towards career placement and graduate school. They also are being asked to "serve back" by going to local high schools as math and science ambassadors.
Broader Impacts: The direct impact of the program is to recruit, select, and support 40 S-STEM Scholars, 20 of them members of minority groups, with the ultimate goal of enabling them to enter the workforce or continue their education to obtain graduate degrees. This project is expected to increase retention in mathematics and the sciences. Through the project, the general academic environment in mathematics and the sciences is enhanced, and student-faculty advising and research activities are becoming central to the mission of the departments involved. The effects are being professionally evaluated and disseminated to the public through the University's website and academic venues.
