Project Grant 2510172

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded the University of Maryland Eastern Shore $399,580 on September 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to enhance recruitment, retention, and four-year graduation rates in STEM fields through critical thinking, research engagement, and community building.

The project redesigns algebra-based and calculus-based physics courses at the Princess Anne, Maryland campus through active learning strategies, including guided discussions, visual concept questions, hands-on experiments with low-cost cell-phone-based physics activities, discovery-based laboratories, and combined tutorial and laboratory sessions. Students will engage in structured problem solving, data analysis, experimental design, group discussion, written communication, and oral presentation. The initiative targets gateway physics courses where many STEM students encounter academic challenges that delay progress toward science degrees. The project also extends to local middle and high school students and teachers through campus visits and teacher training activities to build stronger pathways into STEM fields and strengthen connections between secondary and postsecondary institutions.

The award funds activities through August 31, 2028. This is assistance type Project Grant, classified under the NSF's Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Targeted Infusion Projects component, which supports evidence-based, innovative models for improving preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students pursuing STEM graduate programs and careers.