Supporting Talented, Low-Income Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Chemistry and Biochemistry through Career Explorations, Research Experiences, and Scholarships

通过职业探索、研究经验和奖学金支持化学和生物化学领域有才华的低收入本科生和研究生

• 批准号: 2322722
• 负责人: Andrienne Friedli
• 金额: $ 197.22万
• 依托单位: Middle Tennessee State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2029-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322722&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Supporting; Talented; Low; Income; Undergraduate

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students in chemistry with demonstrated financial need at Middle Tennessee State University, a public research university in Murfreesboro, TN. Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships for up to 60 unique Master of Science (MS) students, and up to 90 full time junior and senior students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Chemistry or Biochemistry. The project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields by linking scholarships with proven effective supporting activities, including faculty and peer mentoring, research experiences, professional development courses, graduate school and employment preparation, and participation in discipline-specific conferences. With the help of mentors and advisors, scholars will create individual plans for career goals and steps toward achieving those goals. Opportunities to engage with faculty mentors, peer mentors, and professional advisors will allow scholars to find support as they navigate professional, social, and financial challenges. Project research and evaluation activities will explore the impact of the project’s mentoring, engagement, and scholar support components on academic outcomes and career directions for low-income students. The overall goal of the project is to increase timely degree completion for low-income, high-achieving BS and MS students with demonstrated financial need. The specific aims of the project are to deliver high impact scientific and professional development opportunities to scholars. Undergraduate scholars will be encouraged to select two credits of research per year or engage in (paid) summer research; and graduate scholars will participate in research leading to a successful thesis. Networking with industry professionals and alumni, interacting with employers at career fairs, and participating in seminars, literature discussions, and other departmental events will also be encouraged. The project team will collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative research data on academic success, student engagement, and self-efficacy to explore strategies to support low income and underrepresented scholars as they prepare for their future careers. An independent evaluation effort will assess the effectiveness of the project at meeting the evolving needs of scholars and, along with project research, contribute to the broad dissemination of activities, findings, and outcomes. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.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.

该项目将通过支持中田纳西州立大学化学专业成绩优异、低收入学生的保留和毕业，并证明其经济需要，满足国家对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求。该项目为期六年，将为多达 60 名独特的理学硕士 (MS) 学生和多达 90 名正在攻读理学学士 (BS) 的全日制大三和大四学生提供奖学金。该项目旨在通过将奖学金与经过验证的有效支持活动（包括教师和同行指导、研究经验、专业发展课程、研究生院和就业准备以及参与特定学科）联系起来，提高学生在 STEM 领域的毅力。在导师和顾问的帮助下，学者们将为职业目标制定个人计划，并制定实现这些目标的步骤。参加教师会议、同行导师和专业顾问的机会将使学者们在职业生涯中获得支持。项目研究和评估活动将探讨项目的指导、参与和学者支持对低收入学生的学业成果和职业方向的影响。该项目的总体目标是提高学位的及时完成率。该项目的具体目标是为学者提供高影响力的科学和专业发展机会，鼓励本科生每年选择两个学分的研究。从事（付费）暑期研究并毕业；学者们将参与成功论文的研究，与行业专业人士和校友建立联系，在招聘会上与雇主互动，并参加研讨会、文献讨论和其他部门活动。项目团队将收集和分析定性。以及有关学术成功、学生参与度和自我效能的研究数据，以探索支持低收入和代表性不足的定量学者为未来职业做准备的策略。独立评估工作将评估该项目在满足不断变化的需求方面的有效性。学者和项目该项目由 NSF 科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来 STEM 工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、保留、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命。并且有通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。