This project is a partnership among the science and mathematics disciplines in the College of Science. The goals are to enhance appreciation for the integration of scientific disciplines, to improve academic performance and university graduation in the sciences, and to prepare undergraduates to enter the science and technology workforce or graduate school.
Intellectual Merit: Scholars begin the program as sophomores or juniors, have high academic potential and financial need, and are selected from the disciplines of astronomy, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geosciences, mathematics, and physics. The program features enrichment activities designed to make scholarship recipients successful in college and prepared for the workforce or graduate school. The activities include a faculty and peer mentor, lectures by and informal meetings with interdisciplinary scientists, opportunities to do independent research or a scientific internship with a scientist or mathematician, a course in integrated science, travel to scientific meetings, and a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) workshop.
Broader Impacts: Underrepresented groups are being recruited using minority organizations on campus. Assessment includes formative and summative evaluations. One study compares scholarship recipients and students with similar academic characteristics by looking at graduation rates in the supported disciplines and the number of students who enter graduate school or the science/technology workforce. In addition, the program includes opportunities for scholarship recipients to do hands-on science and math activities through the Science Connection program in elementary or middle schools that have a high percentage of minority students.
