Idalia Ramos, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao and Eric Stach, University of Pennsylvania
Trajectories among Experimenta con PREM students and comparable cohort of UPRH students. A) Fields of study identified in ECP application, college admission, and bachelor’s degree graduation for ECP students who graduated or have been enrolled in a bachelor’s program (N = 232) for 6 years or more. b) Same data from (a), organized by specific fields of study. c) Fields of admission and graduation for UPRH students from freshman classes 2011–2017, enrolled in STEM or Health programs at some point during their studies (N = 2258)
Outcomes: An article in the journal MRS Advances documented the outcomes of a summer research program for high school students based at the University of Puerto Rico, in partnership with the Penn MRSEC. Over the past two decades this program has engaged nearly 400 students in hands-on materials science research since 2005, with 84% pursuing STEM undergraduate studies.
Impact and Benefits: The program significantly increases STEM retention — with 79% earning STEM bachelor’s degrees — more than double the rate of the comparison group at the same institution (37%).
Explanation: Experimenta con PREM provides early research experiences through a structured two-week immersion where students rotate through laboratories, engage in materials characterization, computational simulations, and device fabrication. Faculty mentors guide students through the entire research process, from literature review to presenting findings. The program showcases materials science as an interdisciplinary field and integrates families into students’ STEM educational journeys.
I.Ramos, J.O. Sotero‑Esteva, V. Bansal, D. Barrionuevo, F. Bezares, E. Fasoli, M. Licurse, R. Oyola, N. Pinto, J. Santana, E.A. Stach, A. Wallace, MRS Advances, (2024) 9:1486–1493. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-024-00939-5