2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

SUCCEEDS Project under NSF DUE: Evaluating Progress and Lessons Learned from Successive Scholar Recruitments and Summer Bridge Program Subsystems

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session I

The S-STEM program seeks to support low-income students in STEM fields by providing comprehensive financial, academic, and professional support. The College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) leverages the S-STEM framework to strengthen first-year retention and graduation outcomes among student populations. The program integrates financial assistance, faculty and peer mentorship, and targeted preparatory initiatives, including the Summer Bridge Program (SBP).
From the first cohort of S-STEM scholars who were recruited last year, we had two students leave the program before the completion of their first year, and one withdrew from their program for entrepreneurial reasons. For the remaining students, the next step is to continue their faculty mentorship and match them with one-on-one industry mentors to improve their technical and professional skills, develop an engineering identity, and create a community to support career growth, as they have started their sophomore year.
The students for the second S-STEM cohort were transfer students and started their UIC degree program in Fall 2025. The recruitment process for Cohort 2 followed the same methodology as Cohort 1. Of the 142 potential candidates invited to apply, 49 submitted applications, and 19 students were ultimately selected to receive the scholarship.
The 2025 Summer Bridge Program that was offered to the second cohort students was shorter in duration compared to the previous year’s version. Over three days, the selected scholars participated in a series of on-campus activities and seminars, including campus tours, alumni panels, and departmental sessions led by representatives from UIC’s various engineering disciplines as well as centers like the UIC Counseling Center. Students also explored key campus facilities such as the Makerspace and attended a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry.
Unlike last year’s program designed for first-year freshmen, this iteration omitted several introductory sessions about college adjustment and campus navigation, as the transfer students were already engaged in degree programs and familiar with academic life through their community college experience. This year’s cohort was automatically enrolled in a special section of ENGR 101 (Engineering Success Seminar) in their first semester at UIC. To assess the program’s effectiveness, pre- and post-SBP surveys were administered to evaluate changes in students’ confidence within their majors and their awareness of campus resources. Preliminary analysis of these surveys found that almost every one of the students had gained a significant amount of information after the completion of the SBP that they did not know before, especially the mentoring and course requirements. The next step is to continue mentorship for both cohorts and introduce industry mentorship.

Authors

Nikith Rachakonda The University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Shanon Marie Reckinger http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-1609-9861 University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Shanon Reckinger is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder in August of 2011 and an MS degree in
Dr. Renata A Revelo University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Renata A. Revelo is a Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Her research focuses on engineering identity development and the culture of engineering.
Dr. Betul Bilgin University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Betul Bilgin is a Clinical Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). With a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, Dr. Bilgin has extensive experience in both biotechnology research and engineering education. Since joining UIC, she has developed and taught various undergraduate courses, integrating innovative teaching methods and industry-relevant content to enhance student learning and engagement.

Dr. Bilgin's research focuses on engineering education, particularly in fostering professional identity among engineering students and integrating data science into the chemical engineering curriculum. She has received multiple awards for her contributions to teaching and mentoring, including the ASEE Ray Fahien Award and the UIC COE Harold Simon Award. Dr. Bilgin is also actively involved in professional service, currently serving as the Director of the Chemical Engineering Division for ASEE and participating in various initiatives to improve engineering education and student success.
Dr. Peter C Nelson University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Peter Nelson was appointed Dean of the University of Illinois at Chicagoâ€™s (UIC) College of Engineering in July of 2008. Prior to assuming his deanship, Professor Nelson was head of the UIC Department of Computer Science. In 1991, Professor Nelson found
Aslihan Karatas The University of Illinois at Chicago
Prof. Houshang Darabi http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7881-6542 University of Illinois Chicago [biography]

Dr. Houshang Darabi is a Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Darabi’s research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence, process mining, data mining, and Operations Research in enhancing educational systems and improving students’ learning. Dr. Darabi’s research has been funded by federal and corporate sponsors, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Ms. Elizabeth Sanders University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Dr. Elizabeth A. Sanders is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Illinois Chicago. She holds Ph.D in Engineering Education (Purdue University, 2024), a M.A. in Higher Education (University of Michigan 2020), and B.S. in Chemical Engineering (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2018). Her research focuses on human-centered design teaching and learning in the engineering context and empathy in engineering design.
Dr. Miiri Kotche University of Illinois at Chicago [biography]

Miiri Kotche is the Richard and Loan Hill Clinical Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago and currently serves as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in Engineering. Her research interests center on experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting biomedical engineering through high school science teacher professional development.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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