Winthrop University Awarded $2 Million NSF Grant to Boost STEM Success for Low-Income Students (08/30/24)

August 30, 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

• The overall goal of the grant is to increase the completion of degrees by high-achieving undergraduates from low-income backgrounds in an initiative called the TIPS Scholars Program. It will also contribute to the regional and national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
• The project, entitled "Transdisciplinary Approach to Strengthening Students' Identity, Persistence to Degree, and Career Success in STEM," is under the direction of Professor Robin Lammi, the chair of the Department of Chemistry, Physics, Geology and the Environment. It will launch in May 2025 and continue through 2031.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - The National Science Foundation recently awarded Winthrop University a $2 million grant to pay for scholarships for 30 students majoring in chemistry, computer science or mathematics.

The overall goal of the grant is to increase the completion of degrees by high-achieving undergraduates from low-income backgrounds in an initiative called the TIPS Scholars Program. It will also contribute to the regional and national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

"We are ecstatic to receive such a large STEM-focused grant that will provide life-changing financial support to some of our most high-achieving students. This type of grant will creative positive ripple effects for our students, our community and our region for years to come," said President Edward Serna '02. "This progressive drumbeat of acknowledgement and recognition of Winthrop and its students is yet another example of why Winthrop is on the rise. Thank you to our STEM faculty for the countless hours of work that went on behind the scenes to make this award a possibility."

The project, entitled "Transdisciplinary Approach to Strengthening Students' Identity, Persistence to Degree, and Career Success in STEM," is under the direction of Professor Robin Lammi, the chair of the Department of Chemistry, Physics, Geology and the Environment. It will launch in May 2025 and continue through 2031.

Provost Sebastian van Delden also expressed enthusiasm for the project. "This prestigious NSF grant is a testament to Winthrop University's commitment to inclusive excellence in STEM education. The TIPS Scholars program will not only transform the lives of individual students but also contribute significantly to diversifying and strengthening the STEM workforce in our region and beyond," he said. "We are proud of Dr. Lammi and her team for securing this funding and look forward to the positive impacts it will bring to our students and the broader STEM community."

Designed to build on the success of a previous National Science Foundation award in 2012, "Chem-STEM Scholars" that supported 62 chemistry majors, this grant will broaden its impact across multiple disciplines.

Takita Sumter, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences who worked on the earlier grant, said Winthrop's rich history of inclusive excellence continues to be a strength of the university. "The success of this proposal is a result of that history and the collaborative efforts of some of Winthrop's finest," Sumter said. "We look forward to the outcomes it will have on recruitment, retention and the overall success of burgeoning STEM professionals."

Over the six-year duration of the grant, at least 30 Pell-eligible students will receive financial support averaging $13,000 per year.

Other key features of the TIPS Scholars Program include:

- Entry points for incoming freshmen and for sophomore/transfer students

- Comprehensive support including scholarships, mentoring and academic counseling

- Pre-college summer bridge program for entering freshmen including transdisciplinary projects

- Opportunities for undergraduate research and internships

- Career development targeting STEM industry and graduate program placements

The program aims to improve student performance in key courses, increase graduation rates in STEM fields, and achieve an 85 percent placement rate into STEM graduate programs or employment for program alumni.

"This grant will allow us to build on Winthrop's proven track record of reducing disparities in graduation rates and facilitating social mobility for students from historically underserved groups," Lammi said.

Along with Lammi serving as principal investigator, other faculty members are Paul Wiegand, associate professor of computing and information science; Kathie Snyder, assistant professor of chemistry; Kristen Abernathy, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics; and Christian Grattan, professor of chemistry.

Efforts will be made to track the effectiveness of the program so it can be shared across the STEM and higher education communities to help improve outcomes for low-income students nationwide. Winthrop officials also would like to continue the initiative beyond the six-year grant period and may initiate a focused campaign for STEM scholarships.

For more information, contact Lammi at [email protected].