Breaking the Silo - Mathematics as a Common Language in Science

The project "Breaking the Silo - Mathematics as a Common Language in Science" at Mississippi State University (MSU) will provide both financial and academic support to students majoring in Chemistry, Math, or Physics at MSU. Focused intervention in the early stages of undergraduate gateway courses such as General Chemistry, Calculus and Physics can have enormous impact in retaining students within STEM fields and enhancing the chances of student academic success. This project will focus on student-centered tools, learning approaches and mentoring interactions that can be utilized throughout a student's four-year college degree. This integrated approach will support deserving students from Mississippi and the Southeastern United States to pursue and complete degrees in the physical sciences and enter science careers. Recruitment efforts with special attention paid to underrepresented populations, as defined by ethnicity and gender, will promote a diverse and capable workforce. Specific objectives of this project will include (1) Supporting students financially to pursue physical science degrees through scholarships; (2) Supporting students academically to complete a Bachelor's degree in the targeted majors of Chemistry, Math or Physics; and (3) Supporting students through career development strategies to pursue careers in the physical sciences. Student support will be developed as a cohesive, integrated plan that includes academic tutoring support for science and math classes, a focus on the development of study skills and time management strategies and co-registration in both gateway science courses, and a 1-credit hour course on Mathematics as a Common Language for the scholarship cohort. Mentoring workshops and career development activities will be a continued focus in addition to research experiences for undergraduates. Assessment and evaluation of the project will be both formative and summative. An external evaluator will coordinate and evaluate survey instruments and achievements to assess projected outcomes and the level of achievement of the stated goals of the project. Lessons learned and effective practices that emerge from the program evaluation data will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community and help increase widespread understanding of the attributes and practices of successful student scholarship and support programs.