$1.5M NSF grant provides STEM scholarships

The University of North Georgia (UNG) has received a six-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program grant of $1,499,859. Funding, which begins Jan. 1, 2023, will help advance retention, engagement and graduation of STEM students.

The grant will allow UNG to award scholarships of up to $10,000 annually to at least 31 students, with a roughly even split between those on the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses. First- and second-year students will be able to receive the annual scholarship funding for up to four years. It is open to full- and part-time students pursuing associate and bachelor's degrees in biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics (excluding clinical fields).

The NSF S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.

We want to expose students to the breadth of career choices in STEM so they can find the path that matches their passion and skillset.

Dr. Natalie Hyslop

UNG professor of biology and NSF S-STEM grant principal investigator

The co-principal investigators are Dr. John Leyba, dean of the College of Science & Mathematics; Dr. John Holliday, professor of mathematics; Dr. Linda Purvis, assistant professor of biology; and Dr. April Nelms, associate dean of the College of Education.

"We want to expose students to the breadth of career choices in STEM so they can find the path that matches their passion and skillset," Hyslop said.

Hyslop will lead the NSF S-STEM program on the Gainesville Campus and Holliday on the Dahlonega Campus. Both held those roles in a previous $615,000 NSF S-STEM grant that ran from 2015-2020 and spurred a wide variety of undergraduate research that helped propel 14 UNG students directly to graduate school.

Students accepted into the NSF S-STEM program at UNG will pair with a faculty mentor and a peer mentor. The first-year seminar will train students in study skills and resumes and connect them with speakers who help them understand what they can do with their degree upon graduation.

"This is a wonderful tool for UNG to recruit students," Leyba said. "It's career development and holistic development of the student."

Purvis and Nelms will conduct research throughout the NSF grant to ensure UNG is maximizing its assistance to students in reaching their goals.

"We will analyze the data collected each year of the program," Nelms said. "We will aim to understand which supports built into the project are most effective in terms of retaining and preparing STEM students for their careers and graduate schools."

Hyslop said Kelly Millsaps, a UNG grant specialist, provided instrumental assistance.

The grant is the product of 18 months of legwork by UNG faculty in designing the program and applying for funding.

"This was first and foremost a team effort," Leyba said.