For many years, studies have shown that undergraduate research experiences have numerous positive effects on students. This study seeks to determine if students get more benefit from having multiple undergraduate research experiences. Specifically, this study considered how students' self-efficacy and STEM belonging changed as a result of multiple…

This study investigates the impact of community college students' participation in mentored undergraduate research, with an emphasis on STEM transfer students. The STEM Academic Research and Training (START) program at Wake Technical Community College was designed and implemented by community college faculty and staff and was evaluated in a…

STEM graduate students go through various stages in their development as researchers. Specifically, Ph.D. students are expected to complete coursework, work on their research, help with projects in the lab they are working in, maintain equipment, mentor other researchers, and fulfill departmental requirements. In this dissertation, I have explored…

Mentorship has been widely recognized as an effective means to promote student learning and engagement in undergraduate research experiences. However, little work exists for understanding different mentors' perceived approaches to mentorship, including mentorship of students from backgrounds and educational trajectories not well represented in…

In this dissertation, I present readers with three studies about the ways in which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research experiences impact undergraduate learning, perspectives, and academic/career activities. In the first two studies I focus on this topic by investigating the ways in which undergraduates were impacted…

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the conceptual knowledge of engineering faculty regarding STEM identity and how they promote undergraduate women's STEM identity in the classroom. Interviews with faculty were grounded in Collins' contextual model of Black student STEM identity and were analyzed inductively and deductively.…

As part of an on-going effort to increase recruitment and retention of historically marginalized groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers, this study examines student perceptions of a culturally relevant undergraduate STEM degree program designed to prepare Indigenous students for graduate school and…

This paper describes the implementation of a STEM scholarship program which utilized a holistic approach to providing a multi-dimensional student support system. The program has been successful in encouraging and supporting women in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science by offering a diverse suite of extracurricular opportunities, actively…

This book is a complete guide for students on how to make the most of intensive, experiential research outside a college classroom. Engaging in research as an undergraduate can lead to successful and rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Being successful in an undergraduate research experience…

Research experiences for undergraduate (REU) students are valuable for exploring STEM professions. Students from underrepresented groups and non-research institutions may not have the opportunities to engage in hands-on research. A primary goal of our Applied Plant Systems REU was to provide authentic research experiences for students who may not…

Mentoring is an essential aspect of scientific research training across multiple academic career levels. In student research training contexts, mentoring is intertwined with expectations of increased autonomy and development of research confidence and independence. An often assumed premise of student research mentoring is that students are…

The focus of this research is on Native American students participating in science internships in tribal college and university settings. Drawing on data collected through annual evaluations of two Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) internship programs over a number of years, one at a tribal college and one at a university, the research…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a virtual mentored research program, the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), affects sense of belonging among underserved students in science fields. Examining the effects of virtual research programs can contribute to the body of research on ways to instill sense of belonging…

In a year-long undergraduate research program, life science majors were paired with majors in the other STEM disciplines of computer science, engineering, mathematics and physical sciences, to work on interdisciplinary life science projects. Typical teams had one undergraduate in a life science and one from another STEM discipline, along with…

Background: Mentorship has been well-established in the literature as fostering scientific identity and career pathways for underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Mentorship is prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEM fields, but…