Building Capacity to Retain Underrepresented Students in STEM Fields

The NSF invests in a number of programs targeting underrepresented populations and institutions relative to its meeting its goals for broadening participation in STEM. This workshop provides minority serving institutions with an opportunity to engage in dialogue about effective ways to create, implement, and evaluate models of intervention that will advance knowledge about retaining underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. It will advance knowledge in life science and the biosciences for K-12 and undergraduate students attending local schools or eligible minority-serving institutions. The workshop will focus on assisting minority serving institutions with use of research designs, and review of best practices for intervention shown to be effective in helping underrepresented student cope with chronic stresses that interfere with their retention in STEM fields and careers. The target audience for the workshop will be the participating institutions and their undergraduate students, in partnership with local K-12 schools.

In collaboration with Quality Education for Minority and MERAssociates, Rutgers University Newark will provide a unique setting to convene more than 100 participants to attend the workshop. The participants will include deans and/or department chairs; STEM faculty; educational researchers, and institutional representatives such as Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Provosts, or other administrators. The participants will work in teams of 4-5 to address science research topics and activities related to curriculum development, teacher support, and student engagement. Outcomes from the workshops will provide insights about successful strategies, areas of future research, and awareness about the need for better intervention models that support underrepresented minority students in STEM.