A $10.美国海军研究办公室拨款900万美元.S. Department of Defense will support five Denver-metro community colleges and two universities in an initiative to increase the number of community college students who pursue engineering careers—particularly those who come from underrepresented populations.
由CU Boulder领导, 赠款将开发无缝, muti-year, year-round pathway for underrepresented students in the metro area to go from high school to community college to a four-year university to ultimately earn an engineering bachelor’s degree and enter the STEM (science, 技术, 工程和数学)劳动力. The supported pathway will include a summer bridge program for high school seniors transitioning to community college, intensive wrap-around academic and social support at the community college level, 大学水平的指导和转学指导, 还有有偿的研究机会和实习机会.
最初的丹佛地铁工程联盟(DMEC)包括博彩平台推荐, 铜丹佛, 奥罗拉和丹佛的社区学院, 以及当地的行业合作伙伴, 包括洛克希德马丁公司. 在三年内, 前山, 红石和阿拉帕霍社区学院也将加入, expanding the consortium to include all five Denver-metro community colleges.
尼克·斯提茨，拨款负责人和 综合教学计划 在博彩平台推荐, said the grant will focus on removing barriers that prevent students—especially those from marginalized communities—from entering STEM careers.
“博彩平台推荐国家的劳动力中有大量开放的STEM职位, yet we don't have enough of our population earning STEM degrees to qualify for these positions,斯蒂斯说。. “另外, 尽管尽了最大努力, we don't have nearly enough diversity among students entering STEM professions.”
The first cohort of students has already begun this fall at the Community College of Aurora, 而高中阶段的招聘将于2023年春季开始.
发展STEM领域的学生支持系统
The work has gotten off the ground so quickly because it builds on the similar work of Janet Yowell, director of Strategic Community College STEM Initiatives for the College of Engineering and Applied 科学 and the DMEC project manager. Yowell is co-leading a National 科学 Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance grant in collaboration with Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, 加州. 这个项目, in partnership with more than 30 community colleges and several four-year universities in six states, includes a framework for preparing students for entry into the STEM workforce that includes an accelerated sequence of math courses, 围绕学生的支持, 专业技能发展和职业指导.
The new DOD-funded consortium will also support the state’s workforce and economy, offering opportunities for current residents to launch and advance careers in-state, 科罗拉多的科学, 以工程和技术为基础的就业市场持续增长.
“在科罗拉多州, 博彩平台推荐是全国受教育程度最高的州之一, but at the same time we don't have enough people to fill the STEM jobs in our state,尤厄尔说.
来填补这个空白, the program specifically targets students who are at the developmental math level—those who have not completed college-level math—which represents more than half of the students entering our nation’s community colleges. 它帮助他们在一年内学会微积分, 完成额外的数学运算, 科学和工程入门课程，以获得副学士学位, while gaining internship or research experience before then moving on to a four-year university to earn an engineering degree.
一些2美元.9 million of the funding will be allocated directly to students in the program, 其中大部分将用于带薪实习和津贴.
“That funding is essential for students who want to earn a degree but would have to work full-time during the summer. We will be providing them with a summer bridge stipend and paid internship opportunities so that they don't have to choose summer income over education,尤厄尔说.
Other challenges for many students whom this grant is targeting—including underrepresented minority groups, women and military veterans—include feelings that STEM careers are inaccessible, difficulty navigating the transfer process and not knowing how to find an internship.
为了解决这些问题, the grant will fund a dedicated student support specialist at each community college to develop a cohort-based student community, 其中包括全面的学生支持服务. The program will also give students access to career services at the four-year level, 提供专业技能方面的指导, and host presentations with defense-related contractors to spark their interest in STEM careers and the defense industry.
“We expect this project to make a significant impact on the opportunities that underrepresented students have to pursue a degree in engineering,斯蒂斯说。. “There is this whole population of diverse community college students who have talent and rich life experiences, 但他们通常不从事STEM职业. 博彩平台推荐希望为这些学生提供进入工程领域的途径.”
任何意见, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Naval Research or the National 科学 Foundation.
