Intellectual Merit. The project is increasing the number of undergraduate students in computational physics, chemistry, and math/statistics by supporting between 18 and 25 students, depending on financial need, for four years of study. The common core of required courses for the three majors, the involvement of the scholars in high-performance computation and research groups, and events for scholars define a cohesive cohort and increase the level of social integration, which studies have identified as important for persistence of students, especially African-Americans and Hispanics, in STEM majors. The program offers both GRE preparation and career-placement services for graduating students. The focus on developing computational skills within traditional science majors and the participation of the university's parallel-computation center distinguish this project. Data show consistently low unemployment rates among graduates with STEM majors, and the additional skills students acquire in computational science prepare them for multiple career paths. Nonetheless, the targeted majors attract too few students, and one purpose of the project is to address the discrepancy.
Broader Impact. The scholarship project has an impact beyond the students funded and beyond increasing enrollment in science majors. Faculty teaching the introductory courses (calculus, general physics, and general chemistry) have noted a deterioration in the level of students' preparation in areas such as algebra, graphing functions, and solving word problems. Similarly, while adeptness with prepackaged PC software has increased, programming skills have declined. An important part of the project is the development of placement examinations, skills courses, and support programs to ensure that students succeed in their undergraduate majors. Once their success has been demonstrated, these programs will be made available to the entire student population.
