This $1,000,000 five-year Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.076 - STEM Education) will fund a program at Hawai`i Pacific University, a private minority-serving institution, to support the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees in computer science, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, and biotechnology engineering.
Over the project period, the grant will provide scholarships to 11 students, along with comprehensive support services to foster their STEM identity, self-efficacy, and academic achievement. These include faculty and peer mentoring, cohort-building activities, culturally responsive teaching training for faculty, and research engagement and internship opportunities. The project aims to enhance understanding of effective interventions for supporting economically disadvantaged STEM students, particularly in the geographically isolated region of Honolulu, and to generate knowledge that can be replicated at similar institutions. An external evaluator will assess the project's impact on scholar recruitment, STEM identity development, academic outcomes, and career pathways.