Current projections indicate that the demand for U.S. graduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the upcoming decades exceeds the supply, more U.S. graduates need to be produced in these fields. In addition, diversity is one of the keys to national success in the technological workforce, since the protocols of today require teams with members having diverse viewpoints and backgrounds to perform the demanding and complex engineering tasks required in global capital markets. This project is addressing these issues by creating a systematic, goal-oriented program aimed directly at increasing the number, and also the diversity, of majors in the College of Engineering at the university. The STEM industries being targeted are those which are well represented within the less technologically advanced southeastern region of the U.S.
Intellectual Merit: Scholarships are being provided to well-qualified, financially needy students from all demographic groups to pursue B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. Scholarship students who would not otherwise be able to afford a university education are recrutied and selected, with a focus on increasing the diversity of the national pool of engineers.
The specific program goals are to: a) provide at least 80% of the necessary financial support for at least 30 students from diverse backgrounds. b) provide these students with a rich educational opportunity, through academic, research, and industrial co-op experiences. c) retain at least 95% of these students until degree attainment. d) place at least 20% of these students into internationally recognized, top-tier graduate programs in the STEM fields. e) place the remainder of these students into industrial positions, particularly within the southeastern region of the U.S. f) catalyze an immediate and long-term expansion in the diversity of the engineering workforce in the targeted industries.
Broader Impacts: The primary broader impact is a diversification of the technological workforce in U.S. industries, with particularly emphasis on those located within the economically depressed southeastern region of the nation. This is leading to an engineering community that is better able to introduce innovative ideas, designs, and products that allow U.S. industries to compete effectively in the ever-changing global marketplace of the present and future. A secondary broader impact is to place graduating students into international corporations within the southeastern region of the nation, wherein they can quickly rise to positions in which their own diverse viewpoints can positively impact those corporations. Another broader impact of the program is to develop and improve a model for diversifying STEM education that can be replicated at universities throughout the southeastern region of the U.S., and to disseminate the results of this effort through appropriate venues.
