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Board 291: Final Year of an S-STEM Summer, Sophomore Bridge: Successes of Three Cohorts

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topics

Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

5

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42790

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/42790

Download Count

118

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Paper Authors

biography

Katie Evans Houston Christian University

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Dr. Katie Evans is a Professor of Mathematics and the Dean of Science and Engineering at Houston Christian University (HCU). Prior to HCU, she was on faculty at Louisiana Tech University for 16 years in the College of Engineering and Science, where she served in various administrative roles and is now Professor Emerita. Dr. Evans serves in leadership of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, founded by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Morehead State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, followed by a postdoctoral position in Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University.

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biography

Marisa K. Orr Clemson University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-5944-5846

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Marisa K. Orr is an Associate Professor in Engineering and Science Education with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University.

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biography

Mitzi Desselles Louisiana Tech University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2806-9838

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Dr. Desselles is Associate Professor and Chester Ellis Endowed Professorship in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Louisiana Tech University. She is a member of the graduate faculty in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

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Abstract

Louisiana Tech University has completed its sixth year via a no-cost extension of an S-STEM Scholarship Program to serve as a Sophomore Bridge for engineering majors [1-6]. The Fast-Forward Scholarship program supports engineering majors in the summer between their first and second years to take one engineering and one mathematics course in their major, along with a professional development (PD) course that includes a spatial visualization curriculum and opportunities to visit regional companies employing engineers. The purpose of the program is to provide students with scholarships and support as they transition into more challenging sophomore engineering and mathematics coursework. Additionally, completing this coursework early allows for more enriching experiences later in the curriculum, such as minors, internships, and undergraduate research. The professional development course content helps students develop a stronger engineering identity and prepare to search for internships.

The first three cohorts of Fast-Forward students from Summers 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively, have now had sufficient time to achieve a four-year graduation. This poster will examine the four-year graduation rates and job/post-baccalaureate placement of these cohorts, to the extent that information is available from post-graduation surveys. The fourth cohort of Fast-Forward students from Summer 2020 are presently enrolled in their senior design courses if they have remained on-track in their engineering majors. This poster will also examine the on-track success of this cohort.

Evans, K., & Orr, M. K., & Desselles, M. (2023, June), Board 291: Final Year of an S-STEM Summer, Sophomore Bridge: Successes of Three Cohorts Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42790

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