Partnerships Within the STEM Pipeline: Dynamics of Collaborations Between Minority-Serving Institutions and Mainstream Research Universities

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Broadening Students' Identification With STEM Fields: Access, Participation, and Collaboration

Abstract

Research collaborations between faculty from minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and mainstream research universities (MRUs) have been successful at engaging underrepresented minority (URM) students into STEM fields. However, there is limited research on the dynamics of the research collaborations and how faculty work together to support and engage URM students. This study draws from the program evaluation of the Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (TCAP), a university-level educational program with the goal of recruiting and training students into plant breeding. Findings from this study provide insight into faculty perceptions of MSI-MRU research collaborations in general, as well as faculty experiences to highlight the working relationships and challenges of being involved in such collaborations.

Authors

• Mao Thao, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Frances P. Lawrenz, University of Minnesota