Supportive community college stem students development, persistence, transfer, and success

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Chemeketa Community College $1,999,946 on January 15, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to support low-income STEM scholars through scholarships, mentoring, and transfer support.

Chemeketa will provide scholarships averaging $6,554 for up to two years to 98 scholars pursuing transfer degrees in biology, chemistry, data science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, and computer science. Scholars receive faculty and peer mentoring, participate in scholar-specific sections of a first-year experience course, attend field trips to industry laboratories, and engage with a speaker series. The project also delivers tutoring, STEM-specific advising, and transfer support services. An experienced evaluator will collect formative and summative data to assess scholar retention, graduation, and transfer outcomes, contributing to the knowledge base on effective support strategies for talented, low-income STEM students.

The project runs through December 31, 2031, with performance at Chemeketa's campus in Brooks, Oregon. This Track 2 Scholarships in STEM award targets academically talented, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need, addressing the national need to grow the STEM workforce across critical sectors including biology, chemistry, data science, engineering, geology, mathematics, and physics.

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 chemeketa community college. A total of 98 scholars pursuing a transfer degree in biology, chemistry, data science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, and computer science will receive scholarships averaging $6554 for up to two years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through scholar specific sections of a first year experience course, field trips to relevant industry laboratories, and a speaker series. Tutoring, stem specific advising. Additional activities for scholars include tutoring, stem specific advising, and transfer support. The overall goal of this track 2 scholarships in stem project is to increase stem degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates 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 biology, chemistry, data science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, computer science and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator who will collect both formative and summative data, 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.