Ramapo Opportunities for Advanced Degrees in STEM

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 Ramapo College of New Jersey. A total of 35 scholars pursuing a Bachelor of Science and/or Master of Science degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Mathematics, or Bioinformatics will receive scholarships averaging $11,400 per year for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through a first-year seminar and three years of research guide courses designed specifically for scholars, satisfying existing institutional credit requirements. Additional activities aimed at developing the scholars' research identities and profiles will include a research-focused lecture series, professional and career development, and personalized support for bridging undergraduate and graduate research projects. The overall goal of this Track 2 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduate and graduate students 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 computing, cybersecurity, data science, mathematics, and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator who will use a mixed-methods, one-phase concurrent triangulation approach, with formative and summative protocols, to document, describe, and assess the program design and implementation plan. 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.