Collaborative Research: REU Site: STEM Research for Social Change

This three-year collaborative project entitled “REU Site: STEM Research for Social Change” is hosted through a special partnership among the University of Dayton (UD), Central State University (CSU), and St. Mary’s University. The purpose of this collaborative REU is to support interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research for positive social change, in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This REU targets underrepresented minority and marginalized undergraduate students in science and engineering fields through faculty-mentored research across three institutions with social justice at the core of their missions. Two of these institutions are minority serving, a Historically Black College and University and a Hispanic Serving Institution and offer opportunities for networking and research collaboration for faculty members at universities with limited financial support. The project will unite STEM faculty and student researchers with social change organizations to advance societal transformation through addressing issues such as clean water and clean energy, sustainability, and generating new technologies and networks. In addition to direct benefits to society, this collaborative REU project will increase underrepresented minority STEM students' sense of belonging in STEM fields, support self-efficacy in research, and increase their persistence and retention through graduation. This three-year collaborative project entitled “REU Site: STEM Research for Social Change” is hosted through a special partnership among the University of Dayton (UD), Central State University (CSU), and St. Mary’s University. The purpose of this collaborative REU is to support interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research for positive social change, in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This REU targets underrepresented minority and marginalized undergraduate students in science and engineering fields through faculty-mentored research across three institutions with social justice at the core of their missions. Two of these institutions are minority serving, a Historically Black College and University and a Hispanic Serving Institution and offer opportunities for networking and research collaboration for faculty members at universities with limited financial support. The REU is designed to enhance the students’ science and engineering research interests and skills, personal and professional identity formation and networks, and sense of belonging in STEM. This project will demonstrate and assess an undergraduate research program model for effectively increasing the retention of marginalized students in STEM, and the rate at which they pursue graduate studies and faculty careers. The REU will sustain existing and develop new interdisciplinary research collaborations between faculty at UD, CSU, StMU, and social change organizations, which will inspire students to pursue graduate school while generating new STEM knowledge, discovery, and technologies for social change. 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.