Think 500, not 50! A scalable approach to student success in STEM

Abstract

BackgroundUMBC, a diverse public research university, “builds” upon its reputation in producing highly capable undergraduate scholars to create a comprehensive new model, STEM BUILD at UMBC. This program is designed to help more students develop the skills, experience and motivation to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This article provides an in-depth description of STEM BUILD at UMBC and provides the context of this initiative within UMBC’s vision and mission.Key highlightsThe STEM BUILD model targets promising STEM students who enter as freshmen or transfer students and do not qualify for significant university or other scholarship support. Of primary importance to this initiative are capacity, scalability, and institutional sustainability, as we distill the advantages and opportunities of UMBC’s successful scholars programs and expand their application to more students. The general approach is to infuse the mentoring and training process into the fabric of the undergraduate experience while fostering community, scientific identity, and resilience. At the heart of STEM BUILD at UMBC is the development of BUILD Group Research (BGR), a sequence of experiences designed to overcome the challenges that undergraduates without programmatic support often encounter (e.g., limited internship opportunities, mentorships, and research positions for which top STEM students are favored). BUILD Training Program (BTP) Trainees serve as pioneers in this initiative, which is potentially a national model for universities as they address the call to retain and graduate more students in STEM disciplines – especially those from underrepresented groups. As such, BTP is a research study using random assignment trial methodology that focuses on the scalability and eventual incorporation of successful measures into the traditional format of the academy.ImplicationsCritical measures to transform institutional culture include establishing an extensive STEM Living and Learning Community to increase undergraduate retention, expanding the adoption of “active learning” pedagogies to increase the efficiency of learning, and developing programs to train researchers to effectively mentor a greater portion of the student population. The overarching goal of STEM BUILD at UMBC is to retain students in STEM majors and better prepare them for post baccalaureate, graduate, or professional programs as well as careers in biomedical and behavioral research.

Students’ Understanding and Perceptions of Assigned Team Roles in a Classroom Laboratory Environment

“…All of the students in the fall 2015 section were participants in a STEM student success initiative (LaCourse et al, 2017). Students were admitted into this initiative based on high school GPA (3.0– 3.4) and SAT (MSAT ≥550) performance and had to have interests in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.…”

A Novel Genus of Actinobacterial Tectiviridae

“…Rhodococcus phage Toil, a phage infecting Rhodococcus opacus, was recently characterized and reported as the first tectivirus capable of infecting Actinobacteria [17]. Here we report the isolation, characterization and genome sequencing of two new tectiviruses as part of an ongoing effort to characterize phages infecting the causative agent of potato scab, Streptomyces scabiei, within the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) and STEM BUILD at UMBC programs [18][19][20][21]. S. scabiei is best known for its worldwide economic impact on potato crops [22,23], but it has a broad host range that encompasses carrot and radish taproot crops, as well as many other dicots and monocots [22].…”

Complete Genome Sequences of HonestAbe, Anthony, and Taffo16, Three Cluster C Bacillus cereus Group Bacteriophages

“… kurstaki strain ATCC 33679 as a host ( Table 1 ). This work was completed as part of the SEA-PHAGES ( 5 ) and UMBC STEM-BUILD ( 6 ) programs.…”