Improving Student Success in Science and Mathematics through Mentoring and Research Engagement

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 the University of California, Merced. UC Merced is a Hispanic-Serving (HSI), Minority-Serving (MSI), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) based in the San Joaquin Valley in central California, serving a talented population of students including 74% first-generation, 64% Pell eligible, and 58% from groups underrepresented in STEM disciplines.

Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships for 30 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, or physics. First-year students will receive scholarships for four years to focus on educational goals, build STEM identity, and persist to graduation.

The project aims to increase student retention in STEM fields by linking scholarships with academic support, funding and mentoring for early research opportunities, community development in peer cohorts, and enrichment activities. As a newer research university serving a highly diverse and majority first generation and Pell-eligible students, this project will make a significant difference in the educational trajectories of scholars by increasing their persistence in STEM majors and preparing them for graduate school and STEM careers.

Lessons learned will help support future UC Merced STEM majors beyond the grant period, broaden the existing knowledge base, and inform other institutions looking to identify successful models for student pathways to graduate school and academic excellence.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high- achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Through careful and intentional integration of existing student services and evidence-based practices for student success, this project will: (i) create a four-year program that promotes student interest in research, connects students to research opportunities, and increases readiness for graduate work/STEM career; (ii) offer curricular and co-curricular activities to increase academic success, persistence and retention, and timely graduation in STEM disciplines; (iii) offer curricular and co-curricular activities to promote STEM identity and self-efficacy; and (iv) support student success with learning communities and peer, near-peer, and faculty mentors.

Establishing which factors best contribute to the formation of a science identity and ultimate persistence in STEM careers, particularly for students from groups underrepresented in STEM, remains an open question. Assessment of student attitudes and persistence during their degree program will advance the science education community’s understanding on two specific research questions: To what extent do early research experiences and related program elements promote STEM identity, self-efficacy, and persistence of students from groups underrepresented in STEM?

What components of a comprehensive faculty and peer mentoring and support system are most effective in promoting STEM identity, self-efficacy, and persistence of students from groups underrepresented in STEM? Knowledge generated will be disseminated broadly, through presentations at science education conferences and journal publications. 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.