PROFILES OF SCIENCE IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT IN A DIVERSE,PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION, AND SYNTHESIS OF DONEPEZIL ANALOGS

Shifting population demographics, STEM attrition, and a global pandemic all point to a need for more STEM graduates. Populations that are expected to grow significantly over the next few decades also tend to be underrepresented in STEM fields. STEM attrition in higher education results in fewer STEM graduates and impacts underrepresented minorities the most. The recent global pandemic lowered trust in scientists and health professionals, which introduces doubt into established medical protocols. Increasing science identity in students can improve student outcomes such as graduation rates, while increasing it in the general population could help them understand the perspective of scientists. Identity has a rich intellectual history spanning from classic Greek philosophers to modern researchers. Research in this field has narrowed to allow for greater understanding in particular fields of study. One such growing field involves science identity, which can be defined as the part of oneself that identifies with the scientific community. The purpose of this study was to investigate how closely students at a primarily undergraduate institution identify with the scientific community and how that differs between students according to self-reported attributes. This study involved the use of an instrument developed at an R1 university and utilized quantitative analysis techniques to determine the statistical significance of any differences between groups of students. The results of the analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between students eligible to receive a Pell grant and those who were not. A statistically significant difference was also found by gender. Validity and reliability evaluations suggest that the instrument was both valid and reliable for the tested population.