$5M federal grant supports Hispanic students in STEM

 

POSTED ON Apr 13, 2022

 

The University of Arizona received a $5 million grant to support students pursuing a career in STEM. The grant aims to assist Hispanic students as well as low-income families.

This grant will be paid over a five-year period and will establish Project CREAR, which stands for Culturally Responsive Engagement Articulation and Research.

Kimberly Sierra-Cajas, director of undergraduate research and inquiry in the Office of Societal Impacts, is the principal investigator and project director for the grant. She said the way programs at the University of Arizona are designed is a “one-size-fits-all” model, which doesn’t benefit students with unique circumstances.

According to Sierra-Cajas, fewer than half of Latino University of Arizona students who start in STEM majors complete their programs within six years, and only a third of Latino students with STEM majors who receive Pell Grants graduate with a STEM degree in six years. Only about 42 percent of Latino transfer students graduate within three years of transferring.

Project CREAR aims to alleviate these problems by providing STEM learning communities, so students experience a sense of belonging in their STEM programs, providing tools for students to transfer to UA more easily from other institutions, increasing the number of undergraduate research opportunities at UA, and training faculty, staff, and student mentors on improving inclusivity in their interactions.

“Success in our educational mission relies on the University of Arizona ensuring that every single one of our students has plenty of opportunities to engage in research and thrive in their academic development,” University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins said. “I am so proud to know that our commitment to inclusion and our service to students has been recognized by this grant, and I look forward to seeing the progress that Project CREAR will make on behalf of all our students.”