Work in progress - STAIRSTEP - a program for expanding the student pipeline

This paper introduces Lamar University´s Students Advancing through Involvement in Research Student Talent Expansion Program (STAIRSTEP), which is designed to increase the number of U. S. citizens receiving undergraduate degrees in science disciplines including computing, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology and earth science. STAIRSTEP uses the experience gathered from two successful programs in computer science for student retention and recruiting of women and underrepresented minorities at Lamar University. STAIRSTEP expands these efforts by including several science disciplines and addressing a broader population of talented `at risk´ students. STAIRSTEP adopts recognized strategies from the literature for increasing participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is innovative in the way it puts this research into practice. This paper describes the STAIRSTEP approach, its expected results, evaluation plan, and current status.