Siena Heights: Applying Psychological Constructs and Student Supports to Improve the Education of Students in STEM

Applying Psychological Constructs and Student Supports to Improve the Education of Students in STEM (SHAPE STEM) 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 Siena Heights University(SHU). Siena Heights University, located in southeastern Michigan, is a small, private, coeducational university.

Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 30 unique full-time undergraduate students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, environmental science, cybersecurity, data analytics, mathematics, and environmental and general engineering. First-year students will receive up to four-years of scholarship support.

The project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields by linking scholarships with a holistic approach that uniquely integrates a four-year comprehensive research experience and positive psychology practices with other STEM supports to reduce stress and improve emotional wellbeing. The project aims to improve students’ STEM identity and exposure to career paths by providing access to STEM professionals through alumni mentorships, internships, and career panels.

This project has the potential to broaden participation in STEM fields by providing increased emotional supports, cohort building, and career awareness to improve the retention and graduation rates for SHU’s large number of Pell-eligible and first-generation students.

The overall goal of the project is to increase degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in STEM fields with demonstrated financial need. Many students enter their first year unaware of degree options. This project will capitalize on Sienna Heights University’s strong environmental research and education programs to address the gap in incoming students’ knowledge of career opportunities to support the substantial employment opportunities for the environmental workforce and national needs in environmental research.

The objectives of the grant include: 1) incorporating positive psychology skills of gratitude, mindfulness, and wellbeing and engaging students in personal psychological interventions to help them build social resources and better connect with their peers, 2) expanding directed social networking and mentoring, and 3) developing a coordinated series of professional development activities that will help students build a STEM identity. The program integrates multiple strategies over the students’ college careers, allowing the research team to track outcomes longitudinally, evaluating the impacts of elements used in different class years.

The project has the potential to produce diverse STEM graduates who can contribute to workforce needs and apply their knowledge of environmental stewardship in their occupations to help address environmental problems that disproportionately impact low-income communities. Results of this project will be made available through participation in regional and national conferences and publication in peer reviewed journals.

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.