Scholarships to Empower Student Success in Natural and Mathematical Sciences

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 Northern Colorado. A total of 18 scholars pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Statistics will receive annual scholarships averaging $15,000 for up to four years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer-mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts by embedding research experiences and industry internships into the curriculum to increase student motivation and enhance their career trajectories. Additional activities for scholars will include summer bridge programs, cohort-based learning, and proactive mentoring. The overall goal of this Track 1 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income 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 supporting STEM student success, which will strengthen the workforce in key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will employ a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate program impact on student academic motivation, academic success, and STEM workforce entry or advanced STEM degree enrollment. The data generated will contribute to the knowledge base regarding 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 academically talented, low-income 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.