Background: In response to the effort to increase minority enrollment in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, STEM summer bridge programs were created to help minorities with the transition from high school to college with the long-term goal of increasing the diversity of professionals in STEM. The goal of this…

The study examined how the NSF-funded, Maryland , the Summer Success Institute, functions as what is known as a third space. Ten African American doctoral students in STEM disciplines shared their perceptions of the benefits of being in a third space. The study hypothesized that SSI operates as a third space, promotes persistence, and combats…

There is a growing demand for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) trained workforce in the United States. In order to remain globally competitive, the US needs to increase the STEM workforce not only in numbers but also diversity. Colleges and universities throughout the US need to not only gain STEM majors but retain them…

The impact and benefits of undergraduate research experiences (URE) in the first two years of post-secondary education have been well documented. Early exposure to research experiences is effective in recruitment, diversity and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree programs, particularly among…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is consistently seen as a top priority; however, STEM programs often suffer from low retention. Students who start in STEM degree programs often lose interest or face obstacles that cause them to leave. Here, we describe a non-traditional approach meant to encourage a range of…

In this component mixed methods study, we analyzed two STEM teacher candidates' constructivist practices during their alternative route to licensure summer teacher education program. The findings suggest that the STEM teacher candidates incorporated all six components of constructivism in their instruction, although each candidate focused on…

Recent years have seen an explosion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research leading to myriad practical applications. This backdrop serves as a powerful motivator for students. George Mason University hosts an annual Aspiring Students Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) for students to participate as interns in ongoing…

Sustained innovation and economic strength of the U.S depends on a greater participation of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). University-based outreach programs that serve African American and other minority populations should do more to infuse invention education in activities that engage…

Colleges are becoming increasingly diverse, including strengthening representation of students with disabilities in STEM (Science, Teaching, Engineering, and Math) fields; however, representation still lags behind national trends. To adapt to this changing demographic and improve representation, STEM college professors must be prepared to grant…

This study examined opportunities for enhancing transfer outcomes for community college students through summer research opportunities at a university. It emphasizes the significance of academic capital, derived from Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, in facilitating successful transfers. By offering ten-week paid summer research opportunities at…

In summer 2013, Manhattan College introduced an online summer "bridge to calculus" course for incoming first-year students in science, engineering, and mathematics education who marginally did not receive a calculus recommendation based on a mathematics placement test. In this paper, we describe the development of the bridge course and…

The federal government and many individual organizations have invested in programs to support diversity in the STEM pipeline, including STEM summer programs for high school students, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy. We fielded a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs targeted to underrepresented high…

Out-of-classroom activities can help cultivate interest and literacy in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. To determine how a week-long out-of-classroom experience might impact STEM interest in adolescents, a free summer camp was offered to students entering grades 6-8. During this time, students participated in…

Although literacy research has traditionally focused on content area and disciplinary literacies, in this study we argue for the importance of transdisciplinarity. We employed a participatory action research design to examine pre-service teachers' (PST) planning of a transdisciplinary math and music lesson to understand how conceptual framing of…

Ethical counselors promote social justice (American Counseling Association, 2014). Based on counselors' specialty and site of practice, promoting social justice involves different goals and methods. One way for college counselors to promote social justice is to support students from groups historically excluded from higher education at their…