National Science Foundation Grant to Support Non-Traditional Students in STEM

By James Irwin

A College of Professional Studies program for community college graduates pursuing bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) received a $611,191 National Science Foundation grant earlier this month.

The five-year “Pathway for Adult-Learners, Community College and Non-Traditional Students” grant will support 10 students a year in the Integrated Information, Science and Technology (IIST) program. Students will receive up to $10,000 a year, for up to two years toward their studies. The grant will increase the accessibility of the STEM fields to non-traditional and underrepresented populations, according to Sara Hooshangi,?IIST program director and assistant professor in the College of Professional Studies.

“I think, in particular, there is a lack of diversity in the STEM fields,” she said. “The IIST program and this NSF grant provide opportunities for students who have the aptitude but might not have the support structure or financial ability to consider and be successful in the STEM fields. It gives access to students who have obstacles that may otherwise prevent them from going forward.”

Access to higher education is a pressing national issue. GW President Steven Knapp has met with government and university leaders at the White House twice in the past six months to discuss the topic of college affordability. In January, Dr. Knapp announced the formation of a university-wide Task Force on Access and Success, aimed at guaranteeing the academic success of lower-income GW students.

“This grant is an exemplar of cross-disciplinary collaboration and is aligned with our institutional direction, especially the task force on access and success,” said Ali Eskandarian, dean of the College of Professional Studies & Virginia Science and Technology Campus.

The Bachelor Degree Completion in Integrated Information, Science and Technology—led by program director Sara Hooshangi—is providing increased opportunity for non-traditional students to pursue degrees in the STEM fields.

The IIST program, now in its fourth year, is designed specifically for non-traditional students—those with full-time or part-time jobs, community college graduates and older students who have taken non-traditional paths to finish their education. Dr. Hooshangi, a member of the Task Force on Access and Success, has seen the cohort-style, five-semester program prove effective for participants. Between 85 and 90 percent of students who have enrolled in the IIST program finish within two years.

“In general we have a very good retention rate,” she said. “Our students have also been successful in participating in academic competition. This year, one of our students, April Brisky [B.P.S. '14], placed second in the physical science category at GW Research Days.”

The majority of students in IIST come from community colleges—Dr. Hooshangi has established partnerships with Northern Virginia Community College and Montgomery College. The age range of students is between 22 and 50 and the cohort includes first-generation college, minority and low-income students.

“Addressing both access and completion, Dr. Hooshangi's program is an example of the initiatives the task force is identifying on our campus and at peer institutions that we hope our final recommendations will encourage, facilitate and replicate,” said Terri Harris Reed, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chair of the Task Force on Access and Success. “In four years, cohorts in her program have nearly doubled in size from 12 to 20 students, providing opportunities for non-traditional students to earn their degrees.”

In addition to the financial assistance, the PACTS grant will provide resources for additional student services within IIST. Dr. Hooshangi will serve as the grant’s principal investigator and physics professor Mark Reeves will be its co-principal investigator.

“The grant creates a cohort within the cohort,” Dr. Hooshangi said. “We are planning to develop a service-learning course with the help of the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, and these 10 students will have access to mentoring, advising and workshops. We’re providing these students with the ability and support to maintain a job and still finish the program on time.”