The Pathways Undergraduate Researchers Program is a paid, nine-week summer internship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. It targets rising first-, second-, and third-year college students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research. This paper describes how the internship impacted students' awareness of biomedical careers,…

Purpose: Research internships are integral components of undergraduate programs that nurture students' skill sets. However, the current trend of these internships adopting a direct apprenticeship model, often termed "cookbook" laboratory sessions, falls short of cultivating 21st-century skills. Therefore, this study proposes an…

In this study, we explored (a) how Latina undergraduate students negotiated their multiple identities while participating in a research internship designed to create spaces that counter master narratives, and the forms of cultural wealth that were implicated in these identity negotiations, and (b) ways in which the various elements of the research…

Internships are considered "high-impact practices" offering students transformative opportunities to develop new skills and professional identities while immersed in workplace culture. They have also been pinpointed as key to improving student success and employment within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.…

In this dissertation, I present readers with three studies about the ways in which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research experiences impact undergraduate learning, perspectives, and academic/career activities. In the first two studies I focus on this topic by investigating the ways in which undergraduates were impacted…

The nation's need for a diverse and competent Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce contributing to economic growth, global competitiveness, and innovation is a primary policy driver for broadening participation in STEM. Yet, social justice and ethics policies dating as far back as the civil rights movement and earlier…

The focus of this research is on Native American students participating in science internships in tribal college and university settings. Drawing on data collected through annual evaluations of two Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) internship programs over a number of years, one at a tribal college and one at a university, the research…

STEM teachers are considered one of the most important factors in inspiring high school students in STEM to excite them about the dynamic nature of the STEM fields (PCAST, 2010). Increasing the number of qualified and diverse science and mathematics teachers, especially those working in high-need areas, is of paramount importance. The intention of…

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a transition to flexible remote and hybrid work arrangements. This shift presents a challenge to colleges and universities as they prepare the next generation of STEM professionals in the knowledge economy. This case study of student experiential learning during the time of critical change from the Spring of…

Despite the adaptive strengths and unique problem-solving skills demonstrated by neurodivergent (ND) individuals, they remain marginalized in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. High unemployment rates among individuals with disabilities emphasize the need for addressing barriers to entry and persistence in the…

Two faculty mentors maintained weekly journals of their experiences supervising three consecutive cohorts of summer undergraduate research interns, with the objective of recording the faculty mentors' experiences and tracking potential transitions in their experiences across time. One common theme was the importance of creating a mentoring team of…

Using the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Model, this qualitative study examined development of psychosocial attributes (i.e., sense of belonging, science identity, and self-efficacy) among 1st-year life science undergraduate students who participated in integrated and culturally engaging research activities at New Mexico Highlands…

This study investigated the difference in specific internship program outcomes of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences as a function of the length of the experience. The study employed analysis of archival data representing a sample of over 1,000 undergraduate STEM students who…

Vertical transfer from community college to a university offers a promising, although unrealized, pathway to diversify STEM disciplines. Studying how successful transfer-­receiving universities support STEM transfer students can offer insights into the institutional practices that promote transfer student retention and success. Using institutional…

This design case details a data science summer learning experience designed by University of Memphis faculty for HBCU students (NSF #: 1918751) with recruiting assistance provided by LeMoyne-Owen College. The summer learning experience included elements of didactic and collaborative problem-solving during the first five weeks of the internship,…