CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON ANNOUNCES $299,995 AWARDED TO JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY

BOLTON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced The National Science Foundation has awarded $299,995 to Jackson State University.

The Students Understanding Chemistry Concepts to Enhance STEM Skills (SUCCESS) project at Jackson State University will target at-risk and underrepresented students, with a focus on biology majors, and will enable them to successfully complete general and organic chemistry. The SUCCESS project will provide three-day Chemistry Readiness Workshops prior to the start of a course, and an additional two-hour SUCCESS Session during each week of the semester. Enabling at-risk and underrepresented students to succeed in their chosen major will support diversification of the STEM workforce. How these interventions promote student success will be documented, and the knowledge gained will complement successful approaches to undergraduate instruction across multiple STEM disciplines.

The impact of Chemistry Readiness Workshops, the modified Xavier University Chemistry Drill Program, and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) sessions on the success of students in general chemistry will be documented. Data from the intervention groups will be compared to historical data and evaluated to determine whether these strategies: (a) improve attendance in chemistry classes, (b) decrease drop/fail/withdraw rates, (c) improve students' conceptual understanding of chemistry, and (d) improve student retention. The results will be disseminated in biology and chemistry education conferences, and associated proceedings. Overall, this project will contribute to what is known about the promoting student success in STEM with at-risk and underrepresented students. This project will support broadening participation in STEM and the STEM workforce.

For more information call 703-292-8070.