Preparing Computational Biologists for the New England Workforce

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 Southern Connecticut State University, a public university in a region that is home to the second largest cluster of biotechnology companies on the East coast. The project, "Preparing Computational Biologists for the New England Workforce (ComBiNE)," will address the demonstrated need for well-trained graduates in computing and bioscience in New England as well as at the national level.

This project will recruit academically talented students with interest in the area of computational biology and have financial needs, implement activities to support retention, and provide high-quality career readiness training. Over its six-year duration the project will award 4-year scholarships to 2 cohorts of 11 and 12 scholars. The project’s objective is to offer equity in talent development to students with financial need and to help fill a gap in the research and industry workforce by building interdisciplinary curricula in computational biology and helping students strengthen career readiness and pathways to meet the local and regional workforce demand.

In addition to the interdisciplinary computational biology curricula, a tiered summer research experience, mentoring and cohort building and support are also prominent features. ComBiNE aligns with NSF mission as it will also generate knowledge on how to improve retention and graduation rate in STEM education. With 45% of Southern Connecticut State University undergraduate students coming from groups underrepresented in their pursuit of STEM fields, this project holds promise to support diversity and inclusion.

ComBiNE will also increase partnering between academia and industry, and it will increase the economic competitiveness of the United States by providing the workforce with well-trained professionals in a fast-growing field both at the national and state level.

Awarded students will participate in a variety of activities aimed at engagement and retention. First is a computational biology themed orientation and first-year experience coupled with specially designed major and minor curricula that ensure acquiring interdisciplinary computational biology expertise. Next, peer-support through a learning community and cohort building events will be offered along with one-on-one mentoring with an assigned mentor throughout the duration of the scholarship.

Finally, structured and incremental three-phase interdisciplinary computational biology research and internship experiences are paired with career-development events for students in their junior and senior years, increasing their prospects in career placement. The interdisciplinary summer research experience is one of the key elements in the ComBiNE program and consists of the three phases: Introduction, Incubation, and Independence.

These summer research experiences will support students in securing internships in the local industry in the summer prior to their senior year. The ComBiNE program will also inform and generate knowledge about academic success, retention and completion, and program efficacy particularly among STEM students with financial needs. With much evidence in the literature on the importance of undergraduate research in improving retention and completion, ComBiNE will focus on the efficacy of the structured and incremental three-phase interdisciplinary research experience in increasing students’ persistence in research and ultimately their retention in and completion of the program of study.

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.