North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695.
Bowie State University, Bowie, MD 20715.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2022 Jun;21(2):ar22. doi: 10.1187/cbe.20-06-0111.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career barriers persist for individuals from marginalized communities due to financial and educational inequality, unconscious bias, and other disadvantaging factors. To evaluate differences in plans and interests between historically underrepresented (UR) and well-represented (WR) groups, we surveyed more than 3000 undergraduates enrolled in chemistry courses. Survey responses showed all groups arrived on campus with similar interests in learning more about science research. Over the 4 years of college, WR students maintained their interest levels, but UR students did not, creating a widening gap between the groups. Without intervention, UR students participated in lab research at lower rates than their WR peers. A case study pilot program, Biosciences Collaborative for Research Engagement (BioCoRE), encouraged STEM research exploration by undergraduates from marginalized communities. BioCoRE provided mentoring and programming that increased community cohesion and cultivated students' intrinsic scientific mindsets. Our data showed that there was no statistical significant difference between BioCoRE WR and UR students when surveyed about plans for a medical profession, graduate school, and laboratory scientific research. In addition, BioCoRE participants reported higher levels of confidence in conducting research than non-BioCoRE Scholars. We now have the highest annual number of UR students moving into PhD programs in our institution's history.
科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 职业障碍仍然存在于边缘化社区的个人身上，这是由于财务和教育不平等、无意识偏见和其他不利因素造成的。为了评估历史上代表性不足 (UR) 和代表性充分 (WR) 群体之间的计划和兴趣差异，我们调查了 3000 多名修读化学课程的本科生。调查结果显示，所有群体在校园里都有类似的兴趣，希望更多地了解科学研究。在大学的 4 年里，WR 学生保持了他们的兴趣水平，但 UR 学生没有，这导致了两组之间的差距越来越大。如果没有干预，UR 学生参与实验室研究的比例低于他们的 WR 同龄人。一个名为 Biosciences Collaborative for Research Engagement (BioCoRE) 的案例研究试点计划鼓励来自边缘化社区的本科生探索 STEM 研究。BioCoRE 提供指导和编程，增强了社区凝聚力，培养了学生内在的科学思维模式。我们的数据显示，在调查关于医学职业、研究生院和实验室科学研究的计划时，BioCoRE 的 WR 和 UR 学生之间没有统计学上的显著差异。此外，BioCoRE 参与者报告的研究信心水平高于非 BioCoRE 学者。我们现在拥有创纪录的数量的 UR 学生进入我们机构历史上的博士项目。
