With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, this Track 1 project focuses on enhancing undergraduate STEM education, with the goal of increasing the success of low-income students in STEM degree programs. The project proposes to do so by providing students with discovery-based research experiences and career development opportunities. The project team expects that these experiences will increase students’ self-efficacy and, thus, improve their overall academic performance. In addition, the project team expects that students will become more interested in pursuing graduate studies or STEM careers. The project will establish collaborative partnerships and alliances with industries and institutions in Puerto Rico to develop the internships. Participation in these internships is expected to help students develop the skills needed to succeed in STEM careers, thus broadening participation in the STEM workforce. By the end of the project, the University expects to increase the first-year retention rate to 80% in Biology and Biotechnology Bachelor of Science bachelor's degree programs.
This project's objectives include providing research experiences and career internships to STEM students with the expected outcomes of clarifying, refining, and reinforcing students' persistence in STEM fields. The specific goals of the project include implementing discovery-based research experiences in first- and second-year biology courses to spark students’ curiosity and develop their scientific identities. After their third year, STEM majors will engage in professional development activities and have access to internships. The effectiveness of project activities will be evaluated through a mixed-methods research design, integrating quantitative and qualitative data to assess and understand the underlying factors affecting students' performance in STEM academic programs. The project ultimately aims to enhance the academic experience of low-income students, particularly Hispanic students, leading to an increase in retention rates in STEM programs. Dissemination of this project's objectives, activities, outcomes, and findings will occur through publications and symposia aimed the academic and scientific communities, industry stakeholders, and the community at large. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
