| NSF Org: |
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 12, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 12, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1702406 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Martha James
mjames@nsf.gov (703)292-7772 EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,075,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,075,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
801 UNIVERSITY BLVD TUSCALOOSA AL US 35401-2029 (205)348-5152 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Tuscaloosa AL US 35401-2029 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Alliances-Minority Participat. |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in diversifying the STEM workforce through the development of highly competitive students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African-Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. The goal of the LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) Activity is to increase the quantity and quality of STEM graduate students from underrepresented populations, with emphasis on Ph.D. matriculation and completion. BD programs implemented in the nation's institutions of higher education contribute to addressing one of the objectives in NSF's 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, namely to "integrate education and research to support development of a diverse STEM workforce with cutting-edge capabilities." For the U.S. to remain competitive globally, it must provide exceptional educational preparedness in STEM areas that underpin the knowledge-based economy. This project serves the national interest by developing strategies for attracting, retaining, educating, and graduating underrepresented graduate students.
The Alabama LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate at The University of Alabama is designed to accomplish the specific goals and priorities of the Bridge to the Doctorate Program. The objectives are to provide underrepresented minority students with the necessary academic and research skills that will enable them to successfully earn STEM doctoral degrees, to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who successfully complete STEM doctoral programs, and to prepare BD participants to apply for the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and similar competitive fellowships. BD participants will be provided with extensive training and professional development activities coupled with mentoring and networking to prepare them to persist in their graduate program and to enable them to successfully earn their STEM doctoral degree. The evaluation plan will assess the success of the Alabama LSAMP BD in meeting the objectives. The plan includes both formative (process) and summative (outcomes) components. The formative evaluation will track the activities for the BD program. The summative evaluation will track the success of the program in meeting its overarching goals for each fellowship recipient. To enhance the rigor of the evaluation, institutional data regarding the recruitment, fellowship awards, and retention of underrepresented groups in UA STEM doctoral programs, but who are not part of the BD program, will be examined for comparison.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The Bridge to the Doctorate: Alabama LSAMP project was designed to accomplish the NSF's specific goals and priorities for the Bridge to the Doctorate Program. Achieving these goals is important to advancing knowledge and understanding of increasing the nation's STEM workforce, which aligns with the Federal Government's strategic plan for STEM education. This was accomplished by meeting three objectives: a) prepare students from underrepresented groups to persist and complete STEM doctoral degree programs; b) provide participants the necessary academic and research skills that will enable them to successfully earn STEM doctoral degrees; and c) prepare BD participants to apply for the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and similar competitive fellowships. The evaluation plan consisted of both formative (process) and summative (outcomes) components to assess the project's success in meeting these objectives.
A formal course was created (MTE 595/596: Alabama LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Seminar) to assist in meeting the project objectives. Each BD Fellow was required to enroll in the seminar each semester. Evaluation surveys of the seminar at the end of each semester found that the BD Fellows rated the seminars very highly overall. The BD Fellows rated specific sessions that provided information on applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and other awards very favorably, as well as other sessions related to succeeding in graduate school. Additional assessments associated with graduate students' intentions to pursue a doctorate degree and their confidence in succeeding consistently indicated that most participants planned to complete a Ph.D. The BD Fellows' future career expectations varied and included academic, industry, and government positions.
All project participants were from populations historically underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. Hence broadening participation of underrepresented groups was a natural component of the project. This project's contribution to the larger goal of increasing the number of STEM doctoral degrees earned by underrepresented groups are summarized below.
Eight (8) BD Fellows began the program in the 2017-2018 academic year:
- Five (5) BD Fellows were able to secure funding to complete their PhD studies after the BD Fellowship funding ended
- One student received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- Two students received other competitive fellowships
- One student received a research assistantship
- One student received a teaching assistantship
- Three (3) BD Fellows did not secure funding for the following reasons
- Two students accepted jobs in industry after completing the BD program and earning their M.S. degree in a STEM field
- One student did not continue in the BD program after the first year
Six (6) BD Fellows began the program in the 2018-2019 academic year:
- Five (5) BD Fellows were able to secure funding to complete their PhD studies after the BD Fellowship funding ended
- One student received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- Two students received other competitive fellowships
- One student received a research assistantship
- One student received a teaching assistantship
- One (1) BD Fellow did not secure funding for the following reason
- Student did not continue in the BD program after the first year
Thus, these results suggest that the Alabama Bridge to the Doctorate program was successful in meeting the program objectives.
Last Modified: 10/22/2020
Modified by: Viola L Acoff
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