![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/12\/20220726_NeurosciencePsychologyResearchConference_014-768x493.jpg\")
Dallas Shuman ’25 presented her work at the 2022 Neuroscience and Psychology Research Conference on campus. File photo.<\/p><\/div>\n
There\u2019s a good chance that Shuman, an undergraduate researcher, might answer these types of questions herself one day. She came to Furman in part because of the university’s success receiving funding from the National Science Foundation\u2019s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or S-STEM. The program provides grants to universities specifically for students who demonstrate high academic ability and talent, but who have financial needs. Furman has been awarded $3.6 million since 2012.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial mobility for low-income students with academic potential is even more crucial than for students (who) enjoy other economic support structures,\u201d according to the NSF<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to improve and broaden the STEM base for all areas of science and math,\u201d said Furman\u2019s John Wheeler, associate provost for integrative science and principal investigator of the S-STEM grant. \u201cThe best way to do that is to make sure we\u2019re not missing undergraduates who aren\u2019t able to pursue those interests because they don\u2019t have sufficient funding to complete their education.\u201d<\/p>\n S-STEM fits within The Furman Advantage ethos: offering a personalized four-year pathway with high-impact learning opportunities so students can be their best.<\/p>\n After she graduates in May with a degree in neuroscience, Shuman hopes to spend a post-baccalaureate year studying more neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health before pursuing a doctoral degree in \u2013 wait for it: neuroscience \u2013 and studying neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n Furman\u2019s success in S-STEM<\/strong><\/p>\n Furman first competed for and received S-STEM funding in 2012. The $600,000 grant supported 23 students, from their first year through graduation and into STEM fields. The next time the university was eligible to apply, in 2020<\/a>, it received $1 million and supported 27 students, including Shuman.<\/p>\n Furman competed this past fall for a new award and will receive $2 million in funding to support about 30 students beginning in Fall 2025, Wheeler said.<\/p>\n To be eligible for the upcoming program, high school students must demonstrate high aptitude and an interest in studying chemistry, biology, neuroscience, math or computer science. They must be eligible for federal Pell grants and have additional unmet financial need, said John Kaup, director of science education and the program manager for Furman\u2019s S-STEM awards.<\/p>\n \u201cWith an increased maximum award of $15,000 per year, we look forward to making Furman an accessible option for the next cohort of future scientists\u201d Kaup said.<\/p>\n S-STEM universities are required to offer best-practice programs and to study the results. During the current award, Furman created a program called Start an Amazing Furman Experience (SAFE) Passage, in which they brought S-STEM scholars to campus for a week during the summer before they enrolled. Students met faculty, attended mock classes, shadowed STEM research groups and participated in social activities. During their first year the scholars were co-enrolled in an introductory chemistry course with peer mentors, taught by Beth Anderson<\/a>, and a first-year writing seminar, taught by Ruth Aronoff<\/a>. S-STEM students also had their own cohort in Furman\u2019s Pathways Program<\/a>, a two-year course where students learn about themselves, how to succeed academically and how to prepare for careers.<\/p>\n S-STEM Students Succeeding<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe impact on our S-STEM scholars\u2019 retention, participation in experiential learning activities and academic performance has been extraordinary,\u201d Wheeler said. For example, 68% of S-STEM students completed research after their first year, compared with about 15% of the overall STEM student population. Twenty-three percent of them have completed three years of summer research with a year and a half remaining in the program. Grades in STEM courses have averaged half a point higher than reference groups with similar interest in STEM majors over the first two academic years.<\/p>\n Furman\u2019s S-STEM program has also measured participants\u2019 sense of belonging, including if they feel like they are part of a larger scientific community.<\/p>\n Dallas Shuman ’25 presented her work at the 2022 Neuroscience and Psychology Research Conference on campus.\u00a0File photo.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cScholars self-report feeling like they belong in the field of science and have a stronger STEM identity versus matched reference groups, data highly encouraging, statistically significant,\u201d Wheeler said. Based on scholar reflections, much of this results from SAFE Passage, the friendships created during first-year cohort engagements and early research experiences.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/12\/20220726_NeurosciencePsychologyResearchConference_027-768x498.jpg\")