RII-BEC: Securing STEM Island Pathways

RII-BEC：确保 STEM 岛通道的安全

• 批准号: 2225854
• 负责人: Kristin Wilson Grimes
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: University of The Virgin Islands
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-11-01 至 2026-10-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2225854&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RII; BEC; Securing; STEM; Island

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree recipients often face uncertain job opportunities and employment lags that result in transitions out of STEM pathways to other on- or off-island employment. This loss has powerful impacts for both the territory’s and the nation’s STEM workforce, as the USVI population consists primarily of those from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in STEM (76% Black or African American, additional 17% Hispanic of any race). Meanwhile, territorial partners have existing, vacant, and emerging STEM workforce needs that could be filled by these individuals. Providing support to early career researchers has been demonstrated as one significant approach to preventing them from leaving STEM career pathways. This project will support 13 post-degree recipients from underrepresented groups in the geosciences. Recipients will be prepared for local workforce positions and graduate school at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), the only institution of higher learning in the territory and one of only three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the country with master’s degree programs in marine science. The project will document the progress of these individuals and support them to pursue their career interests. The project will increase diversity and inclusion in STEM, strengthen partnerships, provide critical support to the only HBCU located outside of the continental United States, and build critical capacity within an under-resourced EPSCoR jurisdiction.The goals of the Securing STEM Island Pathways project are to (1) stabilize career pathways for UVI post-degree recipients through the creation of new short- and long-term job opportunities with territorial partners and support to attend UVI’s Masters of Marine and Environmental Science program, (2) increase STEM career interest, readiness, and sense of community, and reduce career anxiety for participants through these post-degree opportunities and other support structures like mentoring, placement agreements, and networking through local and professional society meetings, (3) connect participants to each other and to additional resources, expertise, and mentors, through the creation of new professional networks, and (4) strengthen existing and build new partnerships between UVI and STEM workforce partners operating in the territory and beyond, while building local and national STEM workforce capacity. The project will leverage partnerships, programs, and resources developed by Virgin Islands EPSCoR and the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance and build on the Alliance’s early successes and infrastructure. This project bridges a critical period of uncertainty for many underrepresented post-degree recipients, especially those disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the establishment of STEM career placements (short-term, long-term, and graduate), the project will contribute to mitigation of STEM workforce losses and recipients' career uncertainty. The project has potential to serve as a model program for the territory, other EPSCoR jurisdictions, and the nation for broadening participation in STEM.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.

该奖项的全部或部分资金根据《2021 年美国救援计划法案》（公法 117-2）提供。在美属维尔京群岛，科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 学位获得者经常面临不确定的工作机会和就业导致从 STEM 途径转向岛内或岛外其他就业岗位的滞后，这种损失对领土和国家的 STEM 劳动力（如美属维尔京群岛人口）产生了巨大影响。主要由 STEM 中代表性不足的种族和族裔群体组成（76% 是黑人或非裔美国人，另外 17% 是任何种族的西班牙裔）。同时，领土合作伙伴拥有现有的、空缺的和新兴的 STEM 劳动力需求，这些需求可以通过为早期职业研究人员提供支持已被证明是防止他们离开 STEM 职业道路的一种重要方法，该项目将为来自地球科学领域代表性不足的群体的 13 名研究生提供支持。维尔京群岛大学 (UVI) 是当地唯一的高等教育机构，也是该国仅有的三所历史上黑人学院和大学 (HBCU) 之一，拥有海洋科学硕士学位课程。该项目将记录这些人的进步并支持他们追求自己的职业兴趣。该项目将增加 STEM 的多样性和包容性，加强合作伙伴关系，为位于美国大陆以外的唯一 HBCU 提供关键支持，并建立关键能力。在一个资源匮乏的 EPSCoR 辖区。“保护 STEM 岛屿通道”项目的目标是 (1) 通过与地区合作伙伴创造新的短期和长期就业机会以及支持参加 UVI 项目，稳定 UVI 学位后获得者的职业道路海洋与环境科学硕士项目，(2) 通过这些学位后机会和其他支持结构（如指导、就业协议和通过当地和其他国家建立的网络）提高 STEM 职业兴趣、准备度和社区意识，并减少参与者的职业焦虑专业协会会议，(3) 通过创建新的专业网络，将参与者彼此联系起来，并与额外的资源、专业知识和导师建立联系，(4) 加强 UVI 和在该地区运营的 STEM 劳动力合作伙伴之间的现有合作伙伴关系并建立新的合作伙伴关系该项目将利用维尔京群岛 EPSCoR 和 NSF 包括海洋岛屿联盟开发的合作伙伴关系、计划和资源，并以该联盟的早期成功和基础设施为基础。通过建立 STEM 职业安置（短期、长期和研究生），该项目将有助于缓解许多代表性不足的学位获得者的不确定性，特别是那些受 COVID-19 大流行影响的人。该项目有潜力成为反映该地区、其他 EPSCoR 管辖区和国家扩大 STEM 参与的典范计划。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为值得通过以下方式获得支持：使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。