Ruralstem catalyst: empowering students and communities through innovation and stem education

Marion Technical College received a $462,927 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. The RuralSTEM Catalyst project establishes guided pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines designed to serve rural student populations. Key deliverables include an environmental scan identifying gaps and assets within the regional STEM education landscape, expanded dual enrollment opportunities connecting high school students to community college programs, a newly established STEM club at Marion Technical College, professional development support for academic advisors and instructors, and the hiring of a dedicated STEM career educator. Additionally, the college will develop and curate a comprehensive e-repository of academic and career resources accessible to students, parents, instructors, and advisors.

The project leverages existing state and institutional infrastructure alongside prior National Science Foundation-supported initiatives to build institutional capacity and address the specific needs of rural students. Through well-structured articulation agreements, the guided pathways will facilitate student transfer from community college certificates and associate degrees to four-year institutions. A mixed-methods participatory evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the pathways and demonstrate key factors associated with building sustainable STEM educational programs. These deliverables collectively aim to increase student success in STEM education and address workforce skill gaps in rural Ohio.

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by establishing guided pathways for students pursuing certificates and/or degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem). Recognizing the opportunity to harness the diverse talents of student populations in rural america, this effort aims to expand and enhance academic and career pathways in stem. Marion technical college intends to establish new and innovative guided stem pathways from high school dual enrollment programs to community college certificates and associate degrees in stem. In addition, the project is designed to facilitate transfer to four-year colleges and universities through well-structured articulation agreements. Leveraging existing state and institutional infrastructure and other NSF supported stem projects, activities include carrying-out an environmental scan to identify gaps/assets, expanding and/or enhancing dual enrollment opportunities, establishing a stem club at marion technical college, providing professional development support for advisors and teachers/instructors, hiring a dedicated stem career educator, and curating an e-repository of academic and career resources for students, parents, instructors, and advisors. This project builds on research on institutional capacity building and the needs and assets of students from rural areas, as well as lessons learned from current and prior NSF projects at the institution. The overarching goal is to increase student success in stem education by leveraging institutional strengths and drawing on the academic experiences of high school and two-year community college students. The mixed methods participatory evaluation is designed to examine and demonstrate the effectiveness of key factors associated with building and sustaining successful guided pathways for students interested in academic programs and pursuing careers in stem. The project has the potential to advance knowledge and practice associated with innovations that build the capacity of community colleges in rural areas of the country to provide their students with opportunities for academic and career success. The NSF iuse: innovation in two-year college stem education (ityc) program seeks to accelerate and advance knowledge about the impact of emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate stem education at two-year colleges. 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.