CMSV serves a highly diverse student body of 1,568 students, and many minority students enter the natural science programs of chemistry, biochemistry, and biology, all of which require that students take the general chemistry sequence and organic chemistry sequence. CMSV is known for educating students from high-need and underserved backgrounds. By major, chemistry students are 25% Hispanic (2 out of 8 chemistry majors), biochemistry students are 50% Hispanic (7 out of 14 majors), and biology students are 55% Hispanic (66 out of 121 majors). College of Mount Saint Vincent (CMSV) has received a grant from the National Science Foundation S-STEM (Scholars-On-Track II) to continue to increase diversity and retention of students in STEM fields by utilizing merit- and need-based financial assistance, skills enhancement, and cohort building as well as successful student support services programs already in place. Graduating with a degree in a STEM field will open opportunities for rewarding high-wage employment, which benefits individual students and their families, as well as the regional and national economy. Further, the program will help to fill the growing need for STEM professionals. Specifically, we are investigating how combined near-peer and faculty mentorship models impact the scientific literacy of scholars. We define scientific literacy here as the scientific reading, comprehension, writing and presentation skills students need to be successful STEM students and professionals. Knowledge generated will demonstrate the impact of these skills on academic success and retention, and by extension, perseverance into STEM graduate or professional study and STEM careers. Sustained programs will benefit all CMSV STEM students, and knowledge generated from the research question will be disseminated to benefit a broad range of STEM undergraduate students at other institutions.

Developing scientific literacy skills as a means to increase the number and diversity of STEM professionals

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.