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National Science Foundation S-STEM Hub Project

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Award #2137824

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University—leaders in research, policy, and technical assistance to support students’ basic needs— are creating an innovative Hub (INTuitN-STEM: Investigating Non-Tuition Needs among community college STEM students) to (a) conduct collaborative research with S-STEM programs to understand and address basic needs insecurity and student access to non-tuition supports and resources and (b) create a broader community of institutions interested in building knowledge around supporting students’ basic needs.

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Apply to Join the Hub!

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, until all spots are filled. Submit now to reserve your spot!

Link to Application

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About the S-STEM Hub Project: Investigating How Low-Income Students Approach Non-Tuition Expenses

The INTuitN-STEM hub will build on The Hope Center’s Hope Impact Partnerships (HIP) infrastructure, a network of colleges and universities across the country working together to foster a basic needs ecosystem through (a) assessments of students’ basic needs (e.g., food, housing, access to technology and transportation, childcare) and institutional capacity; and (b) support to analyze, plan, and take action to improve students’ basic needs security and well-being.

Two ways to join the Hub:

  • Community colleges with S-STEM programs: Your college is invited to join a national, multi-year research partnership with support from National Science Foundation (NSF) to examine STEM students’ experiences with basic needs insecurity and their access to non-tuition supports and resources. The study will also identify points for effective intervention to support community college STEM success. Institutions selected for this partnership will receive $10,000 to support their research activities.
  • All other community colleges: Your college is invited to join a community of institutions dedicated to supporting STEM students’ basic needs through online convenings, newsletters, and sharing of resources created by the Hub’s work. Participation in this community is FREE.

Cost for Research Partner Institutions

  • Participation is free.
  • Time commitment is modest. The typical institution will devote no more than 10 staff hours per semester to participate in research activities in the first two years, and periodic virtual gatherings through Spring 2027. In addition, a few institutions will have the opportunity to test interventions in the later years of the grant. 
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Apply

How Research Partner Institutions Participate

  • Complete the enrollment application. 
  • Attend 2-3 Hub meetings per year with a team that includes the S-STEM project lead, the college’s Director of Institutional Research, the VP of Student Affairs, and the VP of Academic Affairs, along with at least two S-STEM students.
  • Field The Hope Center Student Basic Needs Survey to all enrolled students and have team members complete the institutional assessment.
  • Allow for the conduct of interviews and/or focus groups with staff, faculty, and students during the 2023-24 academic year.
  • Enter into an MOU-DUA (Memorandum of Understanding, Data Use Agreement) with Temple University to share de-identified student-level data, including FAFSA information (as allowed under the FERPA exemption for evaluation of financial aid programs).

Ready to apply? Scan the QR code, or follow this link to begin .

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Meet the Team
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Jamie Payton

PI

Dr. Payton is Chair of the Department of Computer and InformationSciences at Temple University. Her research interests include pervasive computing systems forsmart health and well-being, broadening participation in computing, and evidence-basedapproaches to improving computer science education. Dr. Payton is the PI and director of the NSF-funded STARS Computing Corps, a national alliance of over 50 colleges and universities with the mission to expand participation in computing. STARS operates asa community of practice that engages computing faculty and students at institutions of higher education (IHEs) with a shared commitment to take action to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in computing.

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Leanne Davis

Co-PI

Leanne Davis is the Managing Researcher for Postsecondary Success at Education Northwest. Her research centers on issues of access and equity during transitions in the educational pipeline and on how policies and practices help or hinder a student’s ability to complete a postsecondary credential. Leanne’s background is in working at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. Previously, she was at The Hope Center at Temple University leading work on addressing students’ basic needs. Before Hope, Leanne spent three and a half years at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) in Washington, D.C., where she led research, policy, and advocacy projects centering on equitable access to and success in postsecondary education. Prior to that, she spent nearly 10 years as a college counselor.

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Jennifer Johnson

Co-PI

Dr. Johnson is Assistant Professor of Policy, Organizationaland Leadership Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at TempleUniversity. She has been an active scholar-practitioner in the fields of college access andstudent retention. A former Philadelphia middle school teacher with a background in scienceand mathematics, she spent several years working as a counselor and advisor for collegeaccess and success programs. Broadly defined, her research areas include pre-college accessprograms, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), students in STEM, and high-achieving students of color. This scholarship, both qualitative and quantitative in nature, examines intersections of race, class, and gender with a focus on how institutional contexts shape college access, experiences, and outcomes among Black students.

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Stacy Priniski

Co-PI

Dr. Priniski is Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Urban Health and Population Science at Temple University and Senior Evaluation Associate at The Hope Center. Her topic expertise lies in the study of STEM diversity and STEM persistence in higher education from a social and educational psychology lens. She has extensive experience establishing and coordinating collaborative, multisite research projects, including randomized controlled trials. She now coordinates the The Hope Center’s Student Basic Needs Survey, which involves collection of data on students’ basic needs and experiences in college at campuses all across the country.

Questions?

Write the Hub Team at hopestem@temple.edu.