The Iowa (Illinois) Nebraska STEM Partnership for Innovation in Research and Education (IINspire) LSAMP project, under the leadership of Iowa State University, addresses the critical need to broaden the participation of historically underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM education throughout Iowa, Nebraska, and a segment of Illinois. This is a new NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation alliance consisting of 16 higher education institutions, nine in Iowa, three in Nebraska, and one in Illinois. The alliance consists of six 2-year institutions, seven private bachelor granting institutions, and three public universities. In addition, there are state agencies, national laboratories, education programs, and companies who are affiliated with the alliance. The IINspire LSAMP has a goal to more than double the number of STEM baccalaureate degrees awarded to URM STEM students within five years and build the foundation for larger increases.
Because students fromm populations historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines are the only growing segment of their population, there is a particular statewide urgency to remove the barriers to progress in developing a diverse STEM workforce.
This comprehensive and holistic work plan is built on a foundation of available research and resources, focusing on the transitions from high school and community college to ensure that each student has rigorous academic preparation, social support, research preparation, and financial support to complete their STEM degree and continue onto graduate school. The current increase in the number of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders entering freshman and community college transfers into STEM fields provides evidence that Iowa has begun to address all aspects of student success from the final years of high school through entrance into undergraduate studies.
The proposed LSMAP activities will further understand these transitions, develop additional models to increase the number of students at these entrance points and nurture them through the completion of the STEM degree with a set of structures and monitored activities. Critical new programs include a research certification, community based recruiting and attention to STEM pedagogy. The alliance is designed to connect these new activities to existing programs within the participating institutions in order to leverage the resources and expertise.
Finally, the program and student progress will be evaluated for continuous improvement. The partnership with the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College in Minnesota will provide quick access to dissemination of successful practices in STEM recruitment and retention. The overall project plan will result in contributions to further research supported models to broaden participation regionally in Midwestern states and nationally overall.
