Early Exposure/Long-Term Gains: Encouraging High School Students to Pursue STEM Degrees and Careers

The underrepresentation of African Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States is well documented. Statistics show that while African Americans make up 12.4% of the U.S. population, only 37% of African American 18–24-year-olds are enrolled in college, 45.9% complete their degrees within six years, and they earn only 7% of STEM bachelor's degrees. To address this issue from an upstream approach, Tennessee State University (TSU) houses the Tennessee Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Aerospace Academy, a program that aims to inspire underrepresented high school students to pursue STEM degrees and careers. The program provides experiential learning, culturally relevant STEM curricula, engagement with STEM professionals, and family empowerment sessions. The study used a quantitative survey design to investigate the program's impact. Research questions examined how many students the program exposes to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) STEM careers, the amount of culturally relevant STEM education provided, and the program's impact on students' STEM interest, identity, skills, and knowledge, as well as parents' awareness of STEM opportunities. Preliminary results indicate the program positively impacted students' attitudes and interest in STEM post-secondary subjects and careers. Keywords: Early Exposure, STEM Careers, Underrepresented High School Students, Tennessee Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), STEM Degrees0