The STEM Scholars Program encourages retention and success in STEM fields among students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, including African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Alaskan, Native American, Native Pacific Islander, and first-generation to college students as well as students from under-resourced high schools in Maine. Students are selected for the program through recruitment and application, and are chosen based on their interest in and aptitude for STEM.  The program is directed by April Horton.

The STEM Scholars Program takes place during the academic year, and is grounded in a first-year seminar and subsequent half-credit courses in the first and second year that enrich, review, and supplement course work in gateway STEM courses, building STEM identity and a sense of community. The program introduces students to science writing, reading scientific literature, quantitative skill building, and careers in STEM. For more information go to bates.edu/stem-scholars/.

Providing Research Opportunities for STEM Scholars
National research and data from Bates students tells us that providing early-career students from underrepresented groups with a research opportunity in which they work collaboratively with faculty mentors is one of the most powerful tools we have in retaining strong students in STEM fields.

The STEM Scholars Program has funding for research grants to faculty who bring one or two of the Science Scholars into their research group. The research may be in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, digital and computational studies, earth and climate science, environmental science, mathematics, neuroscience, or physics and astronomy.

This grant is intended to give STEM Scholars, especially current first-years and sophomores with little or no research experience, a solid introduction to STEM research. Faculty mentors should provide research ethics and lab/field training, and work one-on-one with the STEM Scholar on research goals, methodologies, and analysis. Upper class students in the lab should be engaged as mentors as well.

1. Interested faculty members should consult with April Horton about their research program and the STEM Scholar who would be best suited to join the group. Professor Horton consults with program faculty about possible candidates and the PI talks with the identified student(s) to determine their level of interest.
2. Faculty members may submit an application form and proposal by midnight on the date above. The proposal must include an abstract and a statement describing the research goals and methodologies, the project timetable with the start/end dates of the project (these dates will be used as the basis for the payroll contract), a statement on the specific involvement of the student researcher, and a budget for student wages, supplies and/or travel, as applicable. Please indicate the STEM Scholar(s) you have identified. Please write your project description for a general reader.
3. The Committee on Faculty Scholarship reviews proposals, considering the degree of faculty commitment to providing students with genuine research opportunities, and the benefit of the research experience to the student’s college career. If a faculty PI is proposing to hire two student researchers, the PI must offer a compelling justification for needing two rather than one student.
4. STEM Scholars hired as summer researchers must meet with the faculty PI as soon as possible to finalize the project days and organize payroll. Faculty and students should discuss the scope of the project, the schedule and other details of the work before the student agrees to participate. Students are paid hourly (not to exceed 40 hours per week in the summer). Hours are submitted through the Garnet Gateway; the faculty PI approves the student’s hours.

Each grant provides funding for STEM Scholars wages (For SUMMER 2025, please budget at $14.65/hour) for up to 40 hours per week for up to eight weeks during the summer; students pay for their room and board from these wages. Grants also provide funds for supplies or research travel, up to $2,000 per STEM Scholar.

1. Students may not work more than 40 hours per week on this project and may not hold a fellowship at the same time as they hold a STEM Scholar summer researcher position.
2. This grant provides STEM Scholars with an opportunity to engage in long-term, intensive research. Students are expected to work eight weeks full time during the summer (up to 40 hours per week).
3. Because this is a job, all work must be conducted in Maine due to tax implications. Work can be conducted on the Bates campus or remotely, as long as that remote work is done within the state of Maine.
4. The faculty PI must also submit electronically a one-page written evaluation of the student’s work, and comment on the overall success of the project within two weeks of the completion of the project (see reporting requirements).
5. Each STEM Scholar must submit electronically their abstract and report to the PI for approval (see reporting requirements) and to present his/her project during the Back to Bates Poster Session if on campus in the fall. Students must also complete the online SURE survey, a national annual study that assesses student research.
6. All future grants to students are contingent upon receiving their report.

Final abstracts and reports by both the faculty member and student researcher are a requirement of these grants. Please click here for more comprehensive guidelines on what is needed and when to submit.

Faculty should submit an application form and attach all proposal materials into a single PDF by the deadline listed above.