Increasing Graduate Student Success in Marine Science

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by facilitating planning for a future S-STEM Track 3 proposal to develop a comprehensive program that prepares low-income students to successfully pursue marine-related graduate degrees. This project includes six California State University (CSU) campuses that range in size, location, and the types of bachelor’s degrees offered (some have marine science/marine biology degrees while others do not).

All campuses are MSIs with one being an AANAPISI, three being HSIs, and two being both an AANAPISI and an HSI. This project is led by the CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology, a CSU-wide consortium for ocean and coastal research, education and workforce development. Over its one-year duration, this Collaborative Planning Grant project will engage students, marine science faculty, STEM education researchers, and campus professionals to prepare for a future S-STEM Track 3 submission.

The project will characterize the strengths and needs of low-income marine science students and identify existing programs and feasible strategies known to increase student success. Students will share their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments, which will inform future efforts to implement student-support strategies. Because this project focuses on low-income undergraduate students, many of whom are also members of minoritized groups, a successful future Track 3 project also has potential broaden participation in marine science.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. This project supports development of a Track 3 S-STEM proposal that would create a comprehensive, multi-campus program designed to prepare low-income students to successfully apply to marine science graduate programs.

The project will collect data from students, faculty, and staff to better understand the unique strengths and needs of low-income marine science students. These data will contribute to the development of a plan to effectively integrate scholarships, co-curricular student support infrastructure, hands-on experiential learning opportunities, mentoring, and professional development to maximize student success.

This project will advance knowledge relevant to the entire CSU, as well as other public universities. 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.