A Model to Enhance Engineering Workforce Development in Areas of National Strategic Need through Financial, Academic, and Professional Supports for Talented, Low-Income Students

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 with demonstrated financial need at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez. A total of 39 scholars pursuing bachelor's degrees in civil, computer, and electrical engineering will receive scholarships averaging $15,000 for up to five years. Scholars will also receive faculty and peer mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through career-focused workshops and seminars centered on professional skills development. Additional activities for scholars include opportunities to engage in research, internships, and a co-op program. The overall goal of this Track 2 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. There is a significant national need to grow the STEM workforce and nurture key talent that will ensure economic competitiveness and provide domestic leadership across critical sectors. This project directly speaks to this need by growing the engineering workforce, which will strengthen sectors including AI, microelectronics, resilient infrastructure, and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator and the data generated will contribute to the knowledge base on effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in STEM. 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.