Turner, UMD colleagues awarded NSF grant to support students underrepresented in STEM

Sherri Turner, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s counselor education program, and her colleagues, Professors Arshia Khan and Anne Hinderliter from the University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD) have been awarded a six-year, $750,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support low-income, high-achieving STEM undergraduates at UMD. Professor Khan is principle investigator (PI) on the grant, and Professors Turner and Hinderliter are co-PIs.

According to the researchers, their grant, Networking and Computing: Scholarships and Support for Computing Students, “will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at UMD.”

The six-year project will fund scholarships to 19 full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in computer science, with first year students receiving four years of scholarship support. The researchers aim to increase students’ four-year degree completion in computer science and to connect them with careers that are aligned with their interests and goals, and that they find satisfying.

According to Professor Turner, it’s not just about funding. In addition to receiving scholarships, students will participate in peer mentoring, discipline specific networking opportunities and skill development, undergraduate research, national and international professional conferences, and financial literacy support.

“Students will continue to build a sense of belonging and professional identity and will engage in career exploration to help them complete their degrees and transition into the labor market.”

The project will receive evaluation support from Molly Illes and Laura Potter in the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI).