Daemen Science Scholars Program

About This Grant

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 Daemen University. Over its six-year duration, this Track 1 project will provide scholarships to 18 undergraduate students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in biology, biochemistry, and natural science. First-year students will receive up to four years of scholarship support and transfer students will receive up to two years of scholarship support. Project activities include a first-year and cohort-based experiences, early research opportunities, faculty and peer mentoring, academic assistance, referral to college-wide support services, and career and professional preparation. Distinguishing features include the integration of research activities in the first year to build a culture of science early and often and the engagement with peer and faculty mentors from the start. Located in a first-ring suburb of Buffalo, NY, the broader impact of this project is to increase the number of graduates from low-income backgrounds who enter the STEM workforce. This project will also benefit other small, private institutions by deepening understanding of how participation in the cohort learning community might impact scholars' sense of belonging and confidence to persist in STEM careers/graduate studies. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of high-achieving, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The primary aims of the project are to: 1. Recruit and enroll a cohort of six undergraduate students annually in Years 1-3 to participate in the S-STEM project; 2. Retain 83% and graduate 81% of S-STEM project participants; and 3. Matriculate 88% of S-STEM graduates into STEM graduate programs or enter the STEM workforce. Best practices indicate that scholarships positively impact student success when combined with a multitude of supports that address academic, financial, social, and emotional needs. As such, this project will address academic achievement, acquisition of skills and competencies, attainment of learning outcomes, satisfaction, persistence, and career success. This project will investigate the impact of cohorts, faculty and peer mentorship, and early research activities on students' sense of belonging, as well as retention and graduation rates. It is hypothesized that early exposure to scientific research, enhanced student supports, mentorship, as well as cohort building will increase graduation and retention. This project has the potential to build capacity within Daemen University to increase graduation and retention rates of undergraduate STEM students and to further understand the students' perspective of the role of specific components (research, mentorship, peer group) on their success. Evaluation activities, including surveys, focus groups, document review, and extant data analysis, will address program quality/fidelity, project participant engagement, and the efficacy of distinct project components. Results of this project will be disseminated through STEM education journals, local STEM associations, and regional and national conferences. 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.