National Science Foundation S-STEM Hub Project

Award #2137824

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs 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.

Resource Library

INTuitN STEM Basic Needs Focus Group Guide (March 2025)

Funding Guide (March 2025)

Being a STEM Student is a Delicate Balancing Act: Basic Needs Insecurity Among Community College STEM Undergraduates (March 2025)

Cultivating Faculty Buy-In for Basic Needs Efforts (November 2024)

Building an Effective College Student Basic Needs Webpage (November 2024)

How to Form a Campus Basic Needs Taskforce (October 2024)

Image depicting that 3 in 5 community college STEM students who completed The Hope Center’s Student Basic Needs Survey experienced food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness.

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

The INTuitN-STEM hub builds 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 plan, and take action to improve students’ basic needs security and well-being.

The Hub Community: 

Research partners: Seven institutions involved in S-STEM programs to support community college STEM students with financial need receive National Science Foundation (NSF) support join a national, multi-year research partnership to examine STEM students’ experiences with basic needs insecurity and their access to non-tuition supports and resources. The study is also identifying points for effective intervention to support community college STEM success.

All other colleges and universities: Your institution is invited to join a community of colleges and universities 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.

Meet the Team

Jennifer Johnson

PI

Dr. Johnson is Associate Dean of Student Success in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University. She has been an active scholar-practitioner in the fields of college access and student retention. A former Philadelphia middle school teacher with a background in science and mathematics, she spent several years working as a counselor and advisor for college access and success programs. Broadly defined, her research areas include pre-college access programs, 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.

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.

Stacy Priniski

Co-PI

Dr. Priniski is Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Urban Health and Population Science at Temple University with an appointment at The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs. Her topic expertise lies in the study of STEM diversity, STEM persistence, and institutional supports. She has extensive experience establishing and coordinating collaborative, multisite research projects, including randomized controlled trials. She now coordinates 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.

Medical School Profile

Resource Library

INTuitN STEM Basic Needs Focus Group Guide (March 2025)

Funding Guide (March 2025)

Being a STEM Student is a Delicate Balancing Act: Basic Needs Insecurity Among Community College STEM Undergraduates (March 2025)

Cultivating Faculty Buy-In for Basic Needs Efforts (November 2024)

Building an Effective College Student Basic Needs Webpage (November 2024)

How to Form a Campus Basic Needs Taskforce (October 2024)

Questions?

Write the Hub Team at hopestem@temple.edu.