Meeting Abstract
In 2006 Medgar Evers College received an NSF grant (0622197 of the DUE Program) designed to increase the number of students earning BS degrees in Biology and Environmental Science. The goals of our STEP into Science program were to: recruit new students and non-STEM students into Biology or Environmental Sciences; improve retention by providing academic, financial and mentoring support; foster integration of research and technology to better equip majors to be successful applicants to graduate/professional programs; and increase the number of students graduating with BS degrees. We use peer recruiters to attract more high school, transfer, and non-science college students into STEM majors and place emphasis on undergraduate research experiences to increase the quality and retention of science majors through their BS degree. Since the inception of the program, STEM enrollment more than doubled. Our program evaluations consistently showed that a key factor in our successful recruitment and retention was student involvement in undergraduate research activities. The number of majors actively engaged in research has risen more than 90% with a concurrent increase in student research presentations at scientific conference, and an 87% increase in the number of students receiving external research internships and travel awards to attend national conferences. STEM graduates have also increased and many of them are continuing on to Masters and Doctoral programs in STEM and hopefully will ultimately enter rewarding careers in the science enterprise.
