COMPASS PROGRAM
2014-2019
Maria S. Santisteban, PI
Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, co-PI
Goals
• Goal 1: Recruit 27 motivated, academically talented,
financially needy students, including underrepresented
minorities (URM) and first generation students, as
Biology, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, and
Chemistry majors and provide them financial assistance.
• Goal 2: Improve the STEM education experience of the
27 students and prepare them for the STEM workforce or
graduate/professional programs.
• Goal 3: Increase student retention to degree
achievement.
• Goal 4: Build a learning community of STEM scholars
Financial
support
Academic
Support
Success!
Community
Building
Career
support
Program activities: Financial support
• Scholarships: Each S-STEM scholar will receive an
annual scholarship (average of $6,000/academic year) for
their financial support while they are completing their
STEM degree.
Program activities: Academic support
• Math-readiness summer mini-course
• The goal of this course is to cement students’ math
knowledge and to increase their math fluency to the level
where they feel well equipped and confident for their next
courses.
• Seminars:
• The goal of having students attend these guest seminars is
for them to learn other viewpoints within a discipline, and to
hear about current research and practical applications of
what they learn in their courses.
• Tutoring:
• All COMPASS scholars will be encouraged to attend tutoring,
specially for subjects they are having trouble with.
Program activities: career support
• Career planning and placement through professional
development workshops, invited speakers, internships, and
travel:
• The goal of these is to open students’ eyes to possible careers in STEM,
including those beyond academia.
• Summer research/internship:
• Students are encouraged and helped to find paid summer research/internships
away from UNCP.
• Funds in the amount of $2,100 will be provided for up to 4 students working with
faculty at UNCP, or to supplement any unpaid portions of their summer research
experience at other institutions/agencies or in a STEM industry internship.
• Attendance at professional/academic meetings and
conferences
• All students doing research will be required to present at the PURC symposium.
All students will be able to attend the NC Academy of Science meeting, even if
they do not have a project to present.
Resume-writing
workshop
Fall 2014
Math boot-camp
Summer 2014
internship Search 101
workshop
Fall 2014
Map Mapping
workshop, fall15
Wake Forest
Biotech Place
Fall 2015
Visit to the BTEC at
NCSU, Fall15
Program activities: Community building
and support (Community of Scholars)
• Mentoring:
• Students will be mentored one on one by faculty in the
Biology and Chemistry & Physics departments
throughout the entire program
• COMPASS social and learning community:
• COMPASS scholars will come together for as many
activities as possible to create and strengthen a sense
of community. Some of these activities will also be
attended by RISE scholars.
“Obligations”
• In order to retain a full 3 years of scholarship support,
each scholar must:
• Maintain a GPA of 3.0
• Meet with their mentor at least once a month
• Participate adequately in program activities:
• 2-week mini-course the summer before they enter the COMPASS
•
•
•
•
•
•
program.
Seminars, 6/year
Workshops, 6/year
Site visits, 2/year
Attend one or two sessions of tutoring weekly while taking Cell Biology
and Genetics for the biology majors and General Chemistry II and
Organic Chemistry for the chemistry majors, or anything else scholar
needs help with
Carry out a summer research experience/internship
Attend a scientific conference per year
How to apply
• The application process for the 2016 cohort will open in
the spring semester.
• Please visit: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/colleges-
schools-departments/departments/biology/compassscholarship-program
• Address your requests to Dr. Santisteban (Biology
department) maria.santisteban@uncp.edu
Questions?