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Abstract To meet growing BME workforce needs, it is essential to support initial student interests in STEM to aid students' decision making. Prior research has shown that STEM internship opportunities can increase students' sense of self-efficacy in STEM fields, give students insight into career paths they might not otherwise be exposed to, and increase students' interest in and pursuit of STEM-related majors and careers. At the high school level, authentic research internships have been successful in developing STEM identity and influencing the pursuit of STEM majors and careers. High school internships and summer research experiences are especially impactful for underrepresented minority (URM) female students in STEM. The PROPEL Careers Program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is one such program that engages high school students to tackle real-world science and engineering problems by contributing to authentic laboratory research projects. In attempts to remove barriers for underrepresented minority (URM) applicants, changes to the application process included more visual elements, less emphasis on prior STEM activities, and more emphasis on demonstrable enthusiasm for STEM topics. Students were actively recruited from a Title I school, with program administrators spending time and assisting with the application process and PROPEL offered a meet-the-faculty event at the high school. Programming focused on communication strategies for interns during orientation, and student program feedback indicated a positive view of STEM careers.
Hilderbrand-Chae et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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