This proposed S-STEM program would provide three-year engineering scholarships which will be spread across five years and awarded to 20 students. The goal is to attract, retain and graduate outstanding students in Eastern North Carolina, a region known to be poor and rural. The program will foster and enable relationships with faculty, students, and industry leaders from ECU's Engineering Advisory Board (EAB), ultimately with the goal of increasing E3NC students? confidence, leadership potential, and sense of community responsibility. The E3NC program will also be used as a recruiting tool. The intellectual merit of this project is focused on the general engineering curriculum in which the participants will be enrolled, being characterized as intellectually challenging. Seminars held with ECU's Noyce Scholars (students majoring in math education or science education) will provide opportunities for discussion and dialogue outside the classroom setting, challenging students to think about their roles as engineers and as community members who value science and math education. Broader impacts focus on broadening diversity in STEM by targeting students from poor and rural areas of North Carolina. The project develops and maintains a web site that serves as a place to learn about the program, obtain an application, and includes features to allow participants to engage with each other and with student support faculty. The NC STEM Community Collaborative (www.ncstem.org) is used for dissemination. This is an organization that assists North Carolina communities who want to expand their involvement in STEM initiatives by connecting them to resources across the state and the country. Additionally, presentations are planned at the NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) Annual Conference.
