Sustainable engineering education & development (seed): growing career-ready engineers through collaboration

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Western New England University $1.999 million on March 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to deliver the Sustainable Engineering Education & Development (SEED) project through February 29, 2032.

The award funds scholarships averaging $15,000 per year for up to five years to 22 high-achieving, low-income undergraduate students pursuing bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, industrial engineering, civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, or construction management. Scholars receive faculty and peer mentoring, participate in a summer bridge program, attend monthly cohort coaching sessions, and access internship and conference participation opportunities. The project builds scholar cohorts through community service learning, offers a two-track course sequence aligned with engineering career pathways, connects students with Western New England's career services and College of Engineering industry partnership network, and provides mentorship through the College of Engineering alumni mentor program. Work is performed in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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 western new england university (WNE). A total of 22 scholars pursuing bachelor of science in engineering (BSE) in electrical engineering, BSE in biomedical engineering, BSE in computer engineering, BSE in industrial engineering, BSE in civil & environmental engineering, BSE in mechanical engineering, and bachelor of science (BS) in construction management will receive scholarships averaging $15,000 per year for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through a summer bridge program, community service learning, monthly cohort coaching sessions, and internships & conference participation. Additional activities for scholars include a two-track course sequence aligned with engineering career pathways, engagement with WNE career services, access to the college of engineering (COE) industry partnership network, and mentorship through the COE alumni mentor program. The overall goal of this track 2 scholarships in stem project is to increase stem degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. There is a significant national need to grow the stem workforce and nurture key talent that will ensure economic competitiveness and provide domestic leadership across critical sectors. This project directly speaks to this need by supporting stem student success, which will strengthen the workforce in high demand engineering and advanced manufacturing fields and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will utilize institutional data reports, design surveys, and conduct focus group studies with standardized protocols. The evaluation will ensure both reliability and depth of insight into the success of the project. Quantitative metrics will be reviewed annually for progress toward objectives, while qualitative data will be gathered each semester to capture immediate student experiences. Findings will be shared with the PI and program leadership team to enable timely program adjustments and continuous improvement, and the data generated will contribute to the knowledge base regarding effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in stem. This project is funded by NSF?s scholarships in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of academically talented, low-income 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.