The Rural and Diverse Student Scholars (RADSS) Program at George Mason University will offer scholarships and research experiences to rural and diverse undergraduates, who are academically talented and have demonstrated financial need. Students will major in science degrees such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, mathematics, geology, and physics at George Mason University. The specific objectives of RADSS are to: (1) strategically attract talented rural and diverse students to major in College of Science (COS) degrees, (2) promote retention of talented rural and diverse students in COS majors, and (3) directly support undergraduate scholarly activity by these underrepresented students in the College of Science. The RADSS Program will recruit and target high school students from rural parts of Virginia who express interest in STEM, and will work with target schools to increase awareness of science, technology, and/or math degree options.
RADSS will build capacity at Mason to form partnerships with regional laboratories and industry, for students to gain research experiences and mentorship experiences. Rural student access to research opportunities has the potential to be a gateway for them to pursue a science, technology, or math degree. The inclusion of undergraduate research and S-STEM Scholar support by Learning Assistants is an innovative design for a two-cohort model. The undergraduate research component has been shown to be effective for supporting student scientific identity formation and motivates students to complete STEM courses and degrees. The synergistic effects of these components and the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary faculty team will be investigated. The evaluation of the RADSS S-STEM program will benefit our understanding of how to recruit and support rural undergraduates in science, technology, and math. This program will be supported by the STEM Accelerator Program in the College of Science (COS), the COS Dean's Office, the Admissions Office, and the Students as Scholars Program in the Provost's Office at Mason. By working to increase the number of rural and diverse students in STEM at Mason, the RADSS program will benefit NSF's mission to increase participation of those typically underrepresented in science and technology.
