The Brandeis Science Posse: Building a Cohort Model Program to Retain Underserved Students in the Sciences

Abstract

Retaining minority students or students from under-resourced backgrounds in the science professional pipeline is a challenging problem of national concern. For the past eight years, the Brandeis Science Posse program has recruited and retained students from under-resourced groups in STEM disciplines. In collaboration with the Posse Foundation, we have facilitated the formation of a close-knit, mutually supportive learning community, a "science posse," for eighty students to date from New York City public high schools. The Brandeis Science Posse model includes a two-week pre-collegiate summer immersion program and two years of mentoring by a graduate student majoring in STEM. Additionally, the students provide each other with group support throughout their undergraduate experience. To date, 84% of the Science Posse scholars have graduated with a major in STEM, and they have achieved a 96% overall graduation rate. Assessment has shown that all of the above program elements contribute to engagement and retention in STEM of the Science Posse Scholars.