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1. Engineering Student Perceptions of Combined Faculty and Peer Academic Performance

   Rodríguez, Y; Angulo, N; Nieto-Wire, C; Varelas, A. (December 2020, The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching 2020. Special Issue 13. UNM Mentoring Institute’s Conference Proceedings 2020. ISSN 2372-9848)

   null (Ed.)

   There has been a nationwide effort to increase the number, caliber, and diversity of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Research on student development shows that while there is a need, providing financial aid alone is not a sufficient factor for academic success of low-income academically talented college students. Thus, Hostos Community College has recently created the NSF-funded Hostos Engineering Academic Talent (HEAT) Scholarship Program which offers its scholars financial support and experience with a combined mentoring model where students work with faculty and peers during the academic year. This research then systematically investigated the impact of a combined faculty- and peer-mentorship approach with a population not yet studied, undergraduate STEM students at minority-serving community colleges. Preliminary data indicates that the combined mentoring approach has positive effects on scholar’s academic performance and STEM identity. The findings are expected to be generalizable to other populations, and hence provide an opportunity to expand the combined mentorship model to other STEM programs at a variety of institutions whose students could benefit from its implementation. 

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2. Race to R1: An Analysis of Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) Potential to Reach Research 1 Carnegie Classification® (R1) Status

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--47915  

   Fletcher, Trina; Nicholson, Simone; Carr, Christopher; Fletcher, Tina; Boyd, Brittany (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   Since 1973, the Carnegie Classification® has been the guiding framework for determining which U.S.-based higher education institutions are considered the top in the country. The complex and multi-layered calculation gives institutions the designation of labeled research one (R1) or research two (R2) institutions, requiring institutions to grant doctoral degrees. These designations are pivotal in determining which institutions obtain high-quality resources through ongoing decisions by many organizations, including federal agencies, private sector organizations, and philanthropists. Additionally, the designations are instrumental in crucial policy decisions that have the future, mobility, and overall sustainability of operations within institutions, including its various stakeholders (i.e., faculty, staff, and students) at its core. As of 2023, while none of the nation’s 101 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have received the highest designation of R1 status, 11 hold the status of R2. Notably, over the past decade, several of those 11 institutions have made obtaining R1 status a top priority for their organization, with many embedding the goal in their critical strategic plans or key initiatives within their leadership teams’ organizational priorities. Despite such efforts, an integral ingredient to achieving R1 status – leadership – is under-researched in the field. Thus, our study aims to acknowledge the vital role of transformational and distributed leadership within HBCUs and their broader stakeholder community in achieving their goal of reaching R1 status. The goal of this research study is to (1) conduct an analysis of data available within the Carnegie Classification®, (2) provide a thorough review of the literature surrounding this phenomenon, (3) explain the role of engineering-related expenditures and engineering education within this phenomenon, (4) ascertain the capabilities of the institutional leadership and motivations towards R1 status, and (5) use that information, all inclusively, to determine who will be the first of the eleven R2 and three R3 HBCUs to receive the R1 designation. Thus, the research questions guiding this study are: (1) Which historically black college and/or university (HBCU) is most likely to obtain Carnegie Classification® R1: doctoral universities – very high research activity status first? (2) How do engineering-related expenditures and education impact or influence HBCUs' Research 1 status potential? Results explain which of the 14 R2 and R2 HBCUs will be the first and most likely to obtain the designation for the upcoming results and why. Implications for this research study and its results, recommendations for future research, and a concluding statement are provided. 

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3. Diversifying the genomic data science research community

   https://doi.org/10.1101/gr.276496.121  

   The Genomic Data Science Community Network (July 2022, Genome Research)

   Over the past 20 years, the explosion of genomic data collection and the cloud computing revolution have made computational and data science research accessible to anyone with a web browser and an internet connection. However, students at institutions with limited resources have received relatively little exposure to curricula or professional development opportunities that lead to careers in genomic data science. To broaden participation in genomics research, the scientific community needs to support these programs in local education and research at underserved institutions (UIs). These include community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities that support ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically underrepresented students in the United States. We have formed the Genomic Data Science Community Network to support students, faculty, and their networks to identify opportunities and broaden access to genomic data science. These opportunities include expanding access to infrastructure and data, providing UI faculty development opportunities, strengthening collaborations among faculty, recognizing UI teaching and research excellence, fostering student awareness, developing modular and open-source resources, expanding course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), building curriculum, supporting student professional development and research, and removing financial barriers through funding programs and collaborator support. 

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4. Toward Understanding Engineering Transfer Students' Transitions from Community Colleges to 4-year Institutions

   Morris, K; Duerr, J; Baghdadchi, S; Lin, B (June 2024, 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)

   Community college students who transfer to 4-year institutions for engineering degrees are known to face significant adversity. Some common challenges they face include having minimal financial resources, a lack of engineering-oriented mentorship, and prolonged time to degree. Engineering transfer students are naturally diverse, ranging in age, experience, and motivation. Some have carved paths that include, for example, military service, starting a family of their own, or switching their career aims. The nuanced nature of the transfer student experience challenges higher education professionals to identify innovative ways for transfer students to meet their individualized goals. The engineering transfer students aim to transition from a previous institution to a 4-year baccalaureate institution, obtain an engineering undergraduate or graduate degree, and, finally, transition into an engineering-oriented career. These are major transitions. Schlossberg has identified factors that influence an individual’s ability to cope with their experienced transitions, namely, situation, self, support, and strategies. Through this lens, the transfer experiences and transfer shocks undergone by these ambitious students may be better understood and improved. A partnership between a 4-year institution, the University of California San Diego (UCSD), and two community colleges, Imperial Valley College (IVC) and Southwestern College (SWC), has been formed to better understand and support transfer engineering students as they make major transitions in, through, and out of their respective institutions. Through this partnership, a supportive program called EMPOWER has been devised to assemble cohorts of Pell-grant-eligible engineering transfer students so that their diverse and timely needs can be addressed. Scholarships and high-impact practices have been offered to these students. Program activities include cross-campus visits, faculty, and alumni mentorship, financially supported research opportunities, and cohort-supporting social opportunities. Through focus groups and survey questionnaires, the transition experience for these students is further investigated. In this paper, an outline is provided detailing the common challenges faced by engineering transfer students as they transition toward their careers, along with high-impact practices to support them. 

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5. Exposing postdocs to multiple institutional types: a PROMISE-ing intervention to prepare biomedical faculty

   https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1477538  

   Cresiski, Robin H; Ugarte, Fadel; Harris, LaKeisha; Clark, Jessica K (October 2024, Frontiers in Education)

   Bankston, Adriana (Ed.)

   Biomedical faculty positions require experience as a postdoctoral scholar (or “postdoc”). However, there is a current misalignment with postdoctoral training and workforce needs within higher education. The majority of postdocs are trained to be research faculty while completing fellowships at research-intensive universities, despite the fact that the majority of US higher educational institutions (where these postdocs may be employed) focus on undergraduate education. This leads to postdoctoral scholars not having the opportunity to gain exposure to different institutional types where they could be employed. Importantly, they also lack the opportunity to build a network or receive mentorship from faculty at non-R1 institutions. This may be particularly true of underrepresented scholars. In this brief report, we describe the practice of the NSF-funded PROMISE Academy Alliance to bridge this training gap and support greater preparation for faculty careers at an array of institutional types by leveraging collaboration within a state university system. A survey of PROMISE Academy Fellows about their structured experiences engaging with other campuses (e.g., campus tours, workshops, speaking opportunities) reveals that visits to other campuses within the state system are informative and impactful, both on their research and their employment interests. The positive findings can hopefully inspire easy-to-implement changes in postdoctoral support across other university systems or regional consortia. 

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