REU Site: Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship Program

This project is funded by the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. It has both scientific and societal benefits and integrates research and education. This REU Site will actively recruit undergraduate students from STEM limited two- or four-year institutions in Central Texas and provide them with research experience in Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) across 25 weeks of the academic year.

Students will join one of six hierarchical mentorship teams consisting of a faculty mentor and a graduate student and will receive one-on-one mentorship and a community of scholarship that includes research training to study the development of children and families and professional development for research-focused HDFS careers. The intended impact is to (1) improve the educational expectations and attainment of the students, (2) prepare undergraduates for a range of research-focused HDFS careers, and (3) benefit underserved communities most in need, both directly through targeted interventions and indirectly through informing educational and social policies and practices.

The field of HDFS is not representative of the child and youth population of the United States today. To best inform policies and practices that influence underserved populations, the field needs trained scholars who represent these identities, value inclusion, and challenge biases. This project will engage and train students to enter the scientific field of HDFS.

Specifically, using ecological and resilience frameworks, students will learn how to apply quantitative and intervention/evaluation methods to study the development of children and families. A particular focus will be placed on training students on how to study the conjoint impact of social (e.g., teachers, peers), cultural (e.g., language, values), familial (e.g., income, parenting), and demographic factors on the psychosocial and academic outcomes of underserved children and families.

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.