About the Project

Rutgers University researchers, in partnership with researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California San Diego, are conducting study of the critical choice points in the pathway through college into science and engineering careers. This comprehensive analysis of critical choice points in students’ biosciences and engineering pathways contributes to developing a model and assessment of key high impact events in STEM workforce development. We focus on the role of the research experience in developing scientists and engineers at the baccalaureate and masters levels to better understand S&E workforce investments and program effectiveness. The study is guided by three major research questions:

• What are the key “decision points” and high-impact events that influence pathways through an S&E major and into an S&E career?
• What role does research employment have in S&E students’ college completion and entry into S&E careers?
• How does the structure of work in S&E firms influence career choices and persistence?