Poster Abstracts

University of California Santa Barbara
California NanoSystems Institute

Expanding Pathways to Science, Engineering and Mathematic Fields

The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) has initiated a mentorship program, entitled Expanding Pathways to Science, Engineering and Mathematics (EPSEM), which aims to increase the number of local high school and community college students who matriculate or transfer to UC Santa Barbara to earn degrees in STEM disciplines. University faculty, post-doctoral, and graduate student researchers in science, engineering and mathematics play an integral role as mentors to EPSEM students.

EPSEM sponsors summer institutes and school year-mentorship activities that bring high school, community college and UCSB students into the CNSI community and connect them with research scientists, academic departments, and student-centered programs. Activities at the EPSEM Summer Institute and at the Summer Institute in Mathematics and Science (SIMS) include: team research lab projects, faculty seminars and career workshops, academic advising and skills workshops, team design competitions, and tours of local industry and labs. These summer program activities include several layers of mentorship, including undergraduate peer mentors, graduate student research mentors, faculty advisors, and EPSEM staff. Academic year activities include peer mentorship, academic advising, industry and UCSB lab tours, support for student science, math and engineering clubs, and quarterly monitoring of student progress. Our advisory faculty group contributes to the development of new activities and curriculum, and examines ways to impact the retention of students in science, engineering and mathematics courses.

EPSEM also represents an extensive partnership within the UCSB campus, and between UCSB and local community colleges and high schools. These linkages help in our recruitment and retention of students with a strong interest in science, engineering and mathematics, and who have a high potential for admission to the University of California. EPSEM recruitment has a particular emphasis on identifying disadvantaged/underserved students, and students from groups traditionally under-represented in STEM disciplines.

Program evaluation focuses on EPSEM’s impact on the students’ understanding of the STEM culture, and the matriculation/ transfer/ degree-completion process. The evaluation has two major foci, one is formative the other summative. The formative assessment is an ongoing effort to evaluate and improve organizational and conceptual aspects of the program year over year. The summative assessment aims to quantify and describe the ultimate effects of the program with respect to the EPSEM program goals. Additionally, evaluation efforts seek to identify institutional and cultural impediments that may hinder students from realizing their academic goals.