Supporting Talent with Aligned Resources for STEM 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 Salish Kootenai College, University of Montana, Montana Technological University, and Blackfeet Community College. Salish Kootenai College and Blackfeet Community College are both Tribal Colleges.

Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 105 unique full-time STEM students who are pursuing associate and/or bachelor degrees in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences, and/or Natural Resources and Conservation. First-year students in Bachelor degree programs will receive four-year scholarships while transfer students and first-year students in Associate degree programs will receive two-year scholarships.

Students in the project will have access to a wide variety of supports such as individual mentoring from STEM faculty members and peers and monthly professional development opportunities with students from all four institutions. One of the unique features of the program is the collaboration between four institutions. This increased partnership between public research institutions and Tribal Colleges will facilitate a bidirectional sharing of best practices for mentoring, inclusive instruction, and student support.

The partnership will also provide students with access to peers and faculty members at three other institutions within the state.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The aims of this project are to increase the first-year retention and graduation rates for each student cohort, improve transition after graduation to either a STEM career or further higher education, and advance knowledge about issues and factors impacting advancement along the academic pathway.

Montana faces post-secondary persistence challenges with two of its largest population groups: Native Americans and individuals from extremely rural areas. Each group faces unique persistence challenges, with some commonalities (e.g., strong ties to family/land, culture shock, stereotypes). Students with positive STEM-based identities perform better academically and are more likely to persist to earn a degree and stay in a STEM field.

However, STEM-based identities can clash with personal identities, especially for students from marginalized communities. This project will add understanding in how to develop integrated identities that incorporate STEM identities and personal/cultural identities. To address the question of integrated identities, the social science research team will use a mixed-methods design.

Findings will be synthesized into culturally-attuned, place-based knowledge that is useful for teaching, mentorship, and policy in STEM programs at Tribal and non-Tribal Colleges and Universities. This project will disseminate research findings, successes, and lessons learned to appropriate stakeholders via local and community meetings, presentations at regional and national events, and publications in relevant journals.

These dissemination activities will take place on each campus and within communities as appropriate (e.g. Tribal Council meetings, community forums, and contribution to newsletters, websites, and other venues). This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented 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.