The project awards approximately 95 scholarships to students enrolled full-time in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, vacuum and thin film technology, computer science, computer technology, engineering, and mathematics associate degree programs at Normandale Community College. It builds on two successful prior CSEMS and S-STEM projects in which the scholarship programs exceeded goals of retention, transfer, scholar GPA, and minority participation. This project provides an innovative model and evaluates its effectiveness for supporting STEM success in a community college, especially for underrepresented minorities and women. The new program, SciMath III, adapts and combines components from the previous two programs which have a record of fostering student success and develops new interventions to meet the challenges experienced in the past. The project is assessing the success of the model in comparison with previous projects.
The project contributes to STEM education by creating a STEM scholarship model with a STEM specific student support program that can be emulated by other institutions. The model provides not only an opportunity for promoting STEM participation through scholarships but also demonstration of the effectiveness of STEM specific support programs in student success. The project benefits the local economy, especially the high-tech industry by providing qualified STEM graduates.
