ASPIRE to Careers in Science 2

About This Grant

The Alumni, Students, Professors, Internships, Research, Enrichment (ASPIRE) to Careers in Science 2 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 Molloy University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Over its six-year duration, this Track 2 grant will fund scholarships, for four years, to 22 unique full-time students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biology or earth and environmental sciences (EES). The project offers high-impact activities and best practices to achieve stronger retention and graduation rates, increased student learning, and a greater chance of successful transition to STEM-related employment or graduate study upon graduation. Throughout the four years of undergraduate study, cohort activities include curriculum-embedded research, three-tiered mentoring, self-study online tutorial modules for STEM courses, paid summer employment or research internship opportunities, and an enrichment workshop series focused on post-graduate success. An important focus is to prepare scholars to work in basic biological laboratory research, field work, and technology to assume employment in these job sectors that anticipate future growth. Local, state, regional, and national domains will benefit from the addition of academically prepared, well-trained scientists to work in key life science and environmental science fields. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of high-achieving, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Evidence-based activities intend to meet the following objectives: enroll 22 full-time biology or EES majors in three cohorts; award annual scholarships to meet their unmet need; obtain a first-to-second year retention rate of 80%; increase student success rate by 5% in specified undergraduate major STEM requirements known to be hurdles; and support scholars to pursue graduate study or accept employment in a science-related field post-graduation. Assessment efforts will focus on generating knowledge regarding effective program design for diverse student populations. Psychosocial aspects of the enhanced cohort experience and inclusion of family information sessions that address financial concerns will be examined along with STEM job opportunities in fields other than healthcare, and differences in cultural needs of students. Additionally, the findings will contribute to the knowledge base of how the design of four-year STEM programs inform academic and psychosocial effects on student persistence and success in careers in science. Project activities, services, and financial support specifically designed to aid retention will demonstrate their value in retaining students, improving grades, and encouraging students to graduate in four years. An extensive evaluation plan will involve both formative and summative approaches and results will be used internally to inform and improve STEM programming for all Molloy students. External dissemination will include authored publications and presentations at professional 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.