This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. Specifically, this project at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, will provide 20 students with four-year scholarships and services to support them as they earn four-year STEM degrees in computer science, engineering, or safety technology. The Scholars will progress through their college curriculum in two cohorts of 10 students. The Project-based Work Studio will provide the Scholars with practical hands-on experience, practice with working in multi-disciplinary team environments, and exposure to real-life projects in computer science, engineering, and technology. This work is also expected to strengthen connections among and between Scholar cohorts. The resulting sense of community, coupled with professional development and mentorship activities, is intended to help the Scholars persist in their studies, graduate, and become productive members of the STEM workforce. Thus, the Project-based Work Studio approach may provide a model for workforce development in general, as well as prepare the skilled STEM employees needed in the Appalachian area of West Virginia.
The project has three goals: (1) increase the number of students, particularly women, in computer science, engineering, and safety technology fields by recruiting academically talented and financially challenged candidates; (2) prepare graduates for careers in STEM; and (3) conduct research and disseminate results on the effectiveness of a learning approach that includes Project-based Work Studio. This Studio approach provides students with on-campus, faculty-mentored work experiences to provide engineering or technical solutions to local industries. To support success in recruiting and supporting the Scholars, the project team will build strong partnerships with schools, industry, government and other organizations. Experience Sampling Methods will be used to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data with a focus on monitoring student interest and persistence in STEM. It is anticipated that this analysis will identify socialization, gender, and other issues students face as they develop their professional identity, thus providing additional insights into the professional identity development process. This project is funded by NSF?s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
