NSF Award
2321939
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. Over its six-year duration, this project will award a total of 161 scholarships to 65 talented undergraduate students, with a demonstrated financial need, who are pursuing degrees in Information Technology. The objectives of the project include generating stimulating educational opportunities for students to improve their academic performance, increasing degree completion, ensuring their technical competence, and preparing them for rewarding jobs in Information Technology fields. <br/><br/>The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. A group of computer scientists, information technology experts, and educational specialists will be assembled to adapt, implement, and evaluate a set of evidence-based curricular and co-curricular student support activities. These activities will be evaluated based on the success, retention, and graduation of low-income students in STEM fields. This project will advance our understanding of best practices and lessons that will assist other educators to improve STEM education. 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.<br/><br/>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.
