"Advancing Women's Education in STEM (AWE-STEM)" addresses the national need to prepare more women for careers in STEM. The project plans to provide scholarships to three cohorts of twelve students over five years. AWE-STEM scholars will have the opportunity to participate in several high impact activities, including STEM summer workshops, research activities on- and off-campus, field trips, seminars, and an introduction to STEM professional experiences through an annual speaker series. As a women's institution producing a high number of K-12 science teachers Meredith College has the potential to positively influence the number of women pursuing STEM careers as well as have a positive impact on the STEM pipeline through increasing the pool of qualified STEM teachers and providing female role models for young students.
AWE-STEM focuses on three significant issues: the identification of High Impact Practices (HIP) having the greatest impact on student retention overall, the greatest impact on retention of under-represented or low-income students, and the greatest impact on student knowledge gains for underrepresented students as measured by GPA. Cohorts are fostered through a shared first year experience course and an institutional structure in which STEM majors in the same year typically enroll in the same courses. Mentoring events such as dinner at a faculty member's house and other HIP activities are also instrumental to cohort building. Results of the project will be presented at professional meetings of the Mathematical Association of America, the Chemical Education section of the National American Chemical Society, and the American Society of Parasitologists, as well as at the Meredith College's annual Pedagogy, Innovation, and Enhancement workshop.
