Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Talent Expansion Program: An Analysis Of A Pilot Program

The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is completing a pilot program on a series of initiatives that identified their effectiveness in increasing the number of undergraduate students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, pursuing and receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These initiatives were funded by the National Science Foundation through their STEP (STEM Talent Expansion Program) (STEP-DUE-0230148) program. This was achieved through the following objectives: ‚ Developed a high school awareness activity that brought teams of UMBC engineering students to area high schools to introduce the high school students to STEM concepts using hands on engineering activities and demonstrations. During the presentation, the high school students were made aware of the various paths that UMBC students have taken in order to study engineering and what they plan to do upon graduation. ‚ Evaluated the relative effectiveness of a two-week summer bridge program, a scholarship program, and an internship program on student enrollment and retention in STEM programs compared to partial or no intervention. ‚ Strengthened and expanded the current informal consortium arrangement between UMBC and CCBC to increase STEM program articulation and student transfer. A formalized internship program at CCBC is still being developed with science and technology-related companies. An important part of the program is the full involvement of the Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), a UMBC organization whose mission is to increase the involvement of females in IT and technology-related fields, such as engineering. The Center was instrumental in developing a mentoring program for faculty and students and monitoring faculty and student participation. This paper and presentation will include data collected for the pilot program which will include the outreach program to local high schools, as well as the impact of the summer bridge, scholarship, internship and mentoring programs on retention in STEM majors for the students receiving the full or partial intervention as compared to a control group.