STEM STARs project

— a partnership to build persistence to math-intensive degrees in 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 South Alabama, Bishop State Community College, and Coastal Alabama Community College.

A total of 60 scholars pursuing A.S. and B.S. degrees in engineering, chemistry, mathematics and statistics, and physics will receive scholarships of up to $15,000 for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty mentoring and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through social and service activities. Additional activities for scholars include participation in learning communities to support pre-calculus coursework.

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 engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, and other key areas of need. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project will produce data that will contribute to the knowledge base by exploring the effects of targeted mathematics support on the retention of talented, low-income students in STEM.

This project is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation under grant number 2526798 awarded by its 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.