Targeted Infusion Project: STEMulating the M in STEM

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), through Targeted Infusion Projects, supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. In concert with the mission of HBCU-UP, Hinds Community College-Utica Community College (HCC-UTC) seeks to continue its legacy of preparing students to earn baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through partnership with partnering universities and industry.

This project focuses on strengthening the math performance of students who aspire to earn STEM degrees. Accordingly, the project’s overarching goal is to recruit, prepare, develop, and retain African American students who have expressed interest in STEM fields and are at risk for failure in math courses. By providing academic support for rising freshmen through graduation from the community college, the following objectives will be accomplished: (1) Increased math scores of high school students on state and ACT/Next Generation ACCUPLACER assessments, (2) Increased success rates of students taking developmental and college level math courses through academic supports, (3) Strengthened Math Infrastructure at HCC-UTC to increase students’ persistence in STEM, and (4) Transformed STEM education in rural Mississippi and beyond due to executed research.

The long-term benefit of the project will increase numbers of qualified African Americans in STEM workforce and careers. Hinds Community College will work within its college system, which includes seven locations, and with its external partners to achieve the project’s goals and objectives.

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.