StEM: Stimulate, Engage and Motivate student research by enhancing the research capacity (CISE-MSI: RCBP-ED: IIS – III)

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Exposure to research is one of the best predictors of degree completion and success in postgraduate education among students pursuing degrees/careers in STEM fields. However, only a small percentage of undergraduate students are engaged in research. This lack of participation has been attributed to factors such as interest in more applied experience, lack of awareness about research opportunities and their benefits, lack of time, lack of interest, perceived barriers to interactions with the faculty, and personal and financial barriers.

The problem further aggravates with little participation from underrepresented minority groups. Additionally, biases in several sectors of computer science are evident due to the historical underrepresentation of researchers. Significant evidence shows that engaging undergraduate students in research builds confidence and efficacy, motivates them to pursue advanced graduate level STEM courses, increases retention in majors having high attrition rates, and acclimates them to the demands of a research environment.

In addition, underrepresented minority groups students’ participation in research is beneficial to the field as it enhances diversity in the STEM workforce.

The goal of this project is to stimulate, engage, and motivate graduate and undergraduate STEM students, including from underrepresented minority groups to conduct data research in different domains, while supporting expansion and enhancement of research capacity to provide more research opportunities to the diverse student population and the faculty. This goal will be achieved by following a three-pronged approach to 1) enhance and expand the technological infrastructure by acquiring new equipment to facilitate computational processing and big data analyses; 2) embed research within the curriculum for existing courses via CURE and introduce new research-focused programs and courses; and 3) motivate and engage students in research activities and provide hands-on experience via research projects, training, seminars, and workshops through guidance and mentoring by academia and industry experts.

The award will improve the academic and professional skills of STEM students, in particular female and other underrepresented minority students, provide an opportunity to work with experienced research mentors and present/publish their work, create educational materials for long-term enhancement of academic curricula, and foster knowledge and promote the developmental skills to prepare students for data science and big data careers.

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.