ESTEEM Scholars UC Santa Barbara Prof. Susannah Scott, Director

1. ESTEEM
Enhanced Support, Training and Experiences for Engineering Majors
Professor Susannah Scott
Chemical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara
ESTEEM Program Director

2. NSF S-STEM Program
Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
The program emphasizes recruiting students to science and
engineering disciplines, mentoring and supporting them
through degree completion, and partnering with employers to
facilitate student career placement in the STEM workforce.
Scholarship recipients must demonstrate both academic talent
and financial need. They must be US citizens or permanent
residents.

3. S-STEM Parameters
• $600,000 in federal funds, disbursed over 5 years
• ≥ 85% of funds must go directly to students as scholarships
• individual awards valued up to $10,000
unmet financial need =
cost of attendance – expected family contribution

4. ESTEEM at UCSB, 2012-2017
1. Undergraduate engineering majors at UCSB:
- chemical engineering
- computer engineering
- computer science
- electrical engineering
- mechanical engineering
2. Juniors and seniors, with cumulative GPAs ≥ 3.0
3. First-generation college students

5. First-Generation College Students
Relative to undergraduate students with college-educated parents,
FGC students are more likely to:
• be from low-income families
• be members of under-represented groups
• be less well-prepared academically for college
• receive less social support for their college studies from
family and friends
• experience lower levels of academic integration
Choy, S. P. Access and Persistence: Findings from 10 Years of Longitudinal Research on Students. American Council on Education, Center for Policy Analysis.
American Council on Education: Washington, D.C. 2002.
Darling, R. A.; Smith, M. S. First-Generation College Students: First-Year Challenges. In Academic Advising: New Insights for Teaching and Learning in
the First Year. The First-Year Experience Monograph Series No. 46, Hunter, M. S.; McCalla-Wriggins, B.; White, E. R., Eds. National Resource
Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition: University of South Carolina: Columbia, SC, 2007, pp. 203 – 211.
Ishitani, T. T. Studying Attrition and Degree Completion Behavior Among First-Generation College Students in the United States. The Journal of Higher Education,
2006, Vol. 77 (5), 861-885.
Pascarella, E. T.; Pierson, C. T.; Wolniak, G. C.; Terenzini, P. T. First-generation College Students: Additional Evidence on College Experiences and Outcomes.
The Journal of Higher Education, 2004, Vol. 75 (3), 249-284.
Riehl, R. J. The Academic Preparation, Aspirations, and First-Year Performance of First-Generation Students. College and University, 1994, Vol. 70 (1), 14-19.

6. College Persistence
Postsecondary attainment and enrollment
Kaplan-Meier survival function,
in 2000, by generation status
by parents’ educational attainment
The college survival rate is the fraction of students still enrolled
after the specified time period.
Ishitani, T. T., “Studying Attrition and Degree Completion U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Behavior Among First-Generation College Students in the Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study
United States.” J. Higher Ed., 2006, 77, 861-885.
of 1988 (NELS:88/2000), “Fourth Follow-up, Postsecondary
Education Transcript Study (PETS), 2000.”

7. FGC Engineering Students
Generation status of students enrolled in
postsecondary education between 1992 and 2000, by
undergraduate major
percent
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2012.
Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study Arlington VA: National Science Foundation (NSB 12-01).
of 1988 (NELS:88/2000), “Fourth Follow-up, Postsecondary
Education Transcript Study (PETS), 2000.”

8. Barriers to Participation
FGC Engineering students experience
• lack of role models
• family members unfamiliar with the demands of the
engineering curriculum
• role conflicts created by balancing college, home and work
• difficulty of engineering coursework
• lack of financial resources
Fernandez, M. J.; Trenor, J. M.; Zerda, K. S.; Cortes, C. (2008) First Generation College Students in Engineering: A Qualitative
Investigation of Barriers to Academic Plans. 38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, session T4D.

9. Financial pressures

10. UCSB Engineering Students
Pell Grant recipients
•
represent 26% of ca. 1,000 enrolled Engineering majors at UCSB
•
nearly half (48%) are under-represented minorities (URM), of which 66% are also FGC
First-generation college students
•
represent 28% of Engineering majors, of which more than half (55%) are Pell Grant
recipients
Financial aid eligibility
• 45% of our engineering majors qualify, and 27% qualify for ≥ $20,000 in aid
• 51% of Engineering URM students, and 56% of FGC students, qualify for ≥ $20,000 in aid
*Data from 2010 cohort.

11. ESTEEM Program Benefits
academic tutoring in advanced classwork
funding to attend professional meetings
networking with engineering professionals
assistance with finding internships
opportunities to mentor freshmen engineers
grad school/employment applications

12. ESTEEM Partners

13. Dedicated ESTEEM Space

14. The Inaugural Cohort
ESTEEM Scholars, 2012
Behzad Anbarani, Chemical Engineering
Victoria Melero, Electrical Engineering
Jarad George, Mechanical Engineering
Antonio Ortiz, Chemical Engineering
Roberto Ortega, Electrical Engineering
Ryan Helling, Mechanical Engineering
Katherine Santizo, Chemical Engineering
Sandra Skendzic, Electrical Engineering
Yin-Tsun Lam, Mechanical Engineering
Alfredo Torres, Electrical Engineering
Jenny Lei, Mechanical Engineering

15. Get Involved
• host a networking lunch with ESTEEM Scholars
• mentor high potential undergraduates
• offer summer internship experiences
• sponsor more ESTEEM Scholars
• esteem@engineering.ucsb.edu