STEMulators: Cross-Divisional Strategies for Strengthening Undergraduate STEM Pathways for Underrepresented Students

As a Year 3 pilot, the Summer Practical Research Experience (SPRE) is an eight-week practicum for historically underrepresented minority (URM) STEM majors at Rutgers University. In FY23, designed as a cross-divisional, cost-share initiative of a large, public R-1, and expansion of the NSF-sponsored LSAMP Project, SPRE integrated into a larger STEMulator Initiative, pairing scholars with faculty mentors for research, embedding peer mentorship, and creating asset-based shared ideas and lived experiences to strengthen engagement and leadership. The goal is to dismantle barriers that disproportionately impact URM STEM persistence through holistic and strategic preparation for post-baccalaureate success. Structured virtually in Years 1and 2, Summer 2022 marked the inaugural in-person experience, to include a residential-based cohort. Outreach strategy includes a targeted recruitment of women in STEM, given that women are still significantly underrepresented within STEM, peer-to-peer enrollment shows signs of increased persistence with broader representation (Suárez, Dabney, Waxman, Scott, & Bentz, 2021).