Through this S-STEM project, Southern Utah University (SUU) is recruiting and sustaining a cohort of financially needy and academically talented students in the STEM disciplines. SUU is a public university in the Utah Higher Education System with a student body of approximately 8,000 students. Located in a high desert valley at the junction of the Mohave, the Colorado Plateau and the Rocky Mountains, the SUU service area largely consists of isolated rural communities, Native American Reservation land, and National and State Park land. The S-STEM at SUU program targets first-generation college students, Title I school graduates, and students from minority populations and is awarding 20 scholarships to students majoring in mathematics, engineering, biology, geology, chemistry, or technology. Ultimately, S-STEM at SUU is enabling scholarship recipients to pursue their degree in a STEM discipline, and then attend graduate school or be placed in a career within their discipline.
The S-STEM at SUU program is attracting and recruiting students who are committed to a STEM field and have demonstrated intellectual promise, but come from populations of students who historically struggle at the university without additional financial and academic support. Beyond the scholarships, the cohort of scholarship recipients is registered for a one-credit university course that meets periodically throughout each semester. Through their meetings, the cohort facilitates community building through career-related and academic seminars. Examples of seminar topics include training in responsible conduct of research, mentoring and tutoring, workshops for the Graduate Record Examinations, résumé writing, and mock interviews. Student scholars also have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research and are able to share their research in these forums. Mentoring is provided by SUU professors in the scholars' respective disciplines through academic advising, aiding in such things as undergraduate research and assistance with internships. Also, senior students who are members of the cohort are encouraged to engage in mentoring junior members through tutoring, conducting seminars, or serving as a Teaching Assistant for university credit or additional financial remuneration.
The S-STEM at SUU program augments STEM workforce and scientific skills in rural and isolated areas of Southern Utah. In particular, SUU actively secures internships for science, engineering, and mathematics students through the Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative (IIC) and the local Alliance for Education. The IIC gives students an opportunity to do internships as undergraduates with the government, helping them to learn more about state and federal natural resource and land management agencies in southern Utah and northern Arizona. The Alliance for Education is a partnership with the national parks in the area. This formal memorandum of understanding with Bryce Canyon National Park and the Zion Group (Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Pipe Spring National Monument) provides a world-class education and research venue for SUU faculty and students.
