Empowering STEM Scholars for Success

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 Loyola University Maryland. A total of 24 scholars pursuing bachelor's degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering (with concentrations in computer, mechanical, materials, or electrical engineering), and Forensic Science will receive scholarships averaging $15,000 per year for up to four years. Scholars will receive faculty, peer, and industry mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through pre-college orientation; Messina, a common first-year student experience for all Loyola students that will be specialized for STEM project students; small-group tutoring; and regular cohort events. Additional activities for scholars will include seminars and networking with industry partners, on-site visits to regional STEM organizations and businesses, and assessment and workshops for the development of emotional intelligence and professional skills. The overall goal of this Track 2 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduate 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 engineering, biology, chemistry and biochemistry, and forensic science fields and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will provide formative and summative evaluations through a wide-range of data collection methods (e.g., surveys, focus groups, institutional research data, professional development scales, participation counts, etc.) to determine the STEM project's success in achieving its objectives in recruitment, retention and graduation, career and professional development, cohort building, and employment outcomes. The data generated will contribute to the knowledge base regarding effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in STEM. 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.