Preparing students for careers in biotechnology

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $2,500,000 Project Grant under their STEM Education (CFDA 47.076) program to the Concordia College Corporation in Moorhead, Minnesota. The "Concordia Leads: Instructing and Mentoring in Biotechnology (CLIMB)" project will provide scholarships and support services to 36 low-income, high-achieving undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees at Concordia College over a 6-year period from October 2023 to September 2029. The project aims to increase persistence and success in STEM fields, particularly in the growing biotechnology industry, by linking scholarships with academic support, mentoring, undergraduate research experiences, paid internships, and industry partnerships. The project has the potential to broaden participation and build the next generation of workers in the biotechnology field.

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at concordia college, a four-year liberal arts institution. Over its 6-year duration, the concordia leads: instructing and mentoring in biotechnology (climb) project will provide scholarships to 36 undergraduate students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, and/or physics. First-year students may receive up to five years of scholarship support. The project aims to increase student persistence in stem fields by linking scholarships with effective supporting activities, including academic support services, mentoring, undergraduate research experiences, paid internships, and participation in discipline-specific conferences. Through partnerships with local biotechnology companies, this project will prepare students for careers in biotechnology ? An industry identified as an area of national importance and one that is experiencing tremendous growth in the region around the college and across the country. Because concordia college is an increasingly diverse institution that recruits from a region with a high population of underrepresented students, this project has the potential to broaden participation in stem fields and build the next generation of workers in the biotechnology industry. The principal goal of the climb project is to recruit, retain, and prepare academically talented, low-income students interested in pursuing careers in biotechnology. Four specific objectives will guide the work of the project team. First is to build a diverse applicant pool with recruiting strategies targeted toward students from populations underrepresented in their pursuit of stem careers and biotechnology in particular. Second is to provide both academic and social support systems focused on retaining scholars and allowing them to flourish. Third is to connect scholars with a network of mentors who will provide personal, academic, social, and vocational support. Fourth, and finally, is to work with local industry partners to offer vocational guidance, knowledge, and experiences that will prepare scholars for successful careers in biotechnology. Three cohorts of 12 climb scholars will be selected. Once at concordia, a number of support systems will be provided for the scholars. Cohorts will first form an orientation club that will become a first-year seminar course with a focus on strategies for successful learning in stem. Climb scholars will have regular meetings with academic counselors and access to prioritized academic support services. A coordinated network of mentors, including faculty, staff, peers, and stem professionals will support the scholars throughout their academic journey. In partnership with local biotechnology companies, scholars will be offered vocational opportunities including career awareness presentations, industry tours, teaching seminars, research experiences, and paid internships. Program evaluation will be performed by an external evaluator, and formative guidance will be regularly provided by an industry advisory panel. The effectiveness of the strategies developed and tested for recruiting underrepresented populations, supporting them both academically and socially, educating and mentoring them for careers in biotechnology, and preparing them for success will be disseminated to inform the broader stem education community, thereby widening the impact of the climb program beyond concordia?s campus. 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.