S.O.A.R.S (Student Opportunities for Advancement in Research Skills)
Engaging Graduate Students in Research
The current proposed project titled SOARS Scholars program (Student Opportunities for Advancement in Research Skills) will focus on paid opportunities for students to participate in STEM research activities in the following STEM fields:
- Agriculture
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Mathematics
The program will focus to develop a matriculation pathway model to increase persistence, retention and graduation of students in STEM.
A National Priority | STEM
Producing sufficient numbers of graduates who are prepared for STEM occupations has become a national priority in the United States. To attain this goal, some policymakers have targeted reducing STEM attrition in college, arguing that retaining more students in STEM fields in college is a low-cost, fast way to produce the STEM professionals that the nation needs (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology [PCAST] 2012).