2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Preparing Resilient Individuals to Succeed in Engineering: Results from 4 Years of Academic Support and Career Readiness Activities through NSF S-STEM

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session I

The PRISE program at LSU began four years ago with funding from an NSF S-STEM grant. The goal of this program is to help under-prepared students succeed academically and professionally in engineering and computer science. The PIs defined under-prepared students as those with unmet financial need and a lack of academic preparation (due to lack of AP courses and/or calculus readiness). The program consists of a scholarship award tied to a series of professional development workshops and other academic activities to 1) improve scholars’ academic performance; 2) create a sense of community among scholars; and 3) increase employers’ recognition of the capabilities of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Five objectives were established to help reach these goals: 1) use direct education and interventions to build these students’ foundation; 2) reduce the time to graduation through financial and academic support; 3) improve scholars’ professional skills through workshops and experiential learning; 4) increase employer awareness of NACE competencies to evaluate interns; and 5) increase the number of engineers and computer scientists entering the workforce by supporting talented students who are under-prepared for the rigors of these fields.

There are three cohorts of students in the PRISE program, with the first cohort in their fourth year and the last cohort in their second year of university. During scholars’ first year of the program, they attended a series of workshops through the fall and spring semesters, four academic-based (time management, learning styles, red flags, and resume-building) and six career-focused tied to NACE competencies [1]. Pre- and post-surveys were administered for each workshop to measure students’ knowledge gains and self-efficacy. Freshmen were also highly encouraged to participate in a free tutoring program offered through the College of Engineering and the College’s engineering bridge program. Students also completed an involvement survey in May 2025 and participated in one-on-one interviews regarding their internship experiences in Fall 2025.

PRISE Scholars have been mostly successful and outperformed expectations. The criteria for a scholar to continue to receive the scholarship are to maintain a GPA of at least 2.7, continue to pursue an engineering or computer science major, and to participate in program activities. Cohort 1 has retained 12 of the original 15 scholars (10 of which are projected to graduate in May 2026, 4 years since starting at LSU), Cohort 2 has retained 11 of 15, and Cohort 3 retained 17 of 18; their cumulative GPAs for 2024-25 academic year were 3.62, 3.49, and 3.43, respectively. These scholars have also been active in student organizations, held STEM-related campus jobs, participated in research, and/or volunteered for service-related projects in the community. Over half of PRISE participants have received at least one internship as of summer 2025.

Next steps include gathering feedback from internship employers regarding PRISE scholars’ NACE competencies, facilitating an industry mentoring component, and continuing to provide support and assistance to PRISE participants through additional informative workshops and professional development opportunities.

Reference
[1] National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “What Is Career Readiness?” Accessed September 25, 2025. [Online.] Available: https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined

Authors

Adrienne Steele Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

Adrienne Steele has over 25 years of experience in STEM education and is currently the Director of Student Leadership and Engagement for the College of Engineering at Louisiana State University. In this role, she consults with faculty on broader impacts of their research, manages transitional programs for first-year students, oversees initiatives to increase student retention, and facilitates several student enrichment programs. Through mentoring and experiential learning opportunities, the programs Adrienne facilitates empower students to be better leaders, future employees, and contributors to their communities. Previously, she coordinated an educational outreach program for the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU, where she led 175 professional development workshops for over 2,600 PreK-12 teachers. Adrienne has B.S. and M.S. degrees in zoology and an Education Specialist Certification (Ed.S.) in science education.
Jennifer Curry Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

Jennifer R. Curry, Ph. D., NCC, Vira Franklin and James R. Eagles Endowed Professor in the College of Human Sciences and Education, teaches in the Counselor Education program at Louisiana State University. Her research interests focus on career and college readiness for students from low income and underrecognized groups. Her professional experiences include serving as an elementary, middle, and high school counselor. She is the author of six books including Promising Practices for High School Apprenticeships published by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), P-12 Career and College Readiness Counseling (3rd ed.) by Springer and co-authored with A. Milsom, and African Americans’ Career and College Readiness: The Journey Unraveled, co-edited with M. Ann Shillingford-Butler published by Lexington. Dr. Curry has consulted with over 40 school districts nationally and internationally on career development topics. Dr. Curry has served as a delegate of ASCA’s national assembly and President of the Louisiana School Counselor Association (LSCA). She is the recipient of the American Counseling Association's Ross Trust Award, ASERVIC’s Judith Miranti Lifetime Service Award, the ASERVIC Meritorious Service Award, the Biggs Pine Publication Award, LCA’s Research Award, LCA’s Advocacy Award, LSU’s Distinguished Faculty Award, and Vanderbilt’s Roger Aubrey Northstar Award. She is Co-PI on the NSF S-STEM grant that funded this research.
Dr. Theda Daniels-Race Louisiana State University and A&M College [biography]

Theda Daniels-Race, PhD, is an M. B. Voorhies Distinguished Professor in the Division of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at Louisiana State University (LSU) with joint appointment to LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology. Her research expertise in nanotechnology involves the study of electro-optical phenomena in nano-electronic materials, experimental thin-film deposition, and the design and development of next-generation solid-state electronic devices. In ECE, she is the founder and principal investigator of the NEST (Nano Electronic Structures & Technology) Lab and serves as the division’s Director of the Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory. For the College of Engineering, she is the Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded PRISE (Preparing Resilient Individuals for Success in Engineering) Program. As a former LSU Provost’s Fellow, she designed and executed university-wide programs for faculty professional development and enhanced academic resources for students. On the national level, Dr. Daniels-Race is an ELATES (Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering & Sciences) Fellow. She is also an alumna of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC). Dr. Daniels-Race is the author of a combined total of over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference abstracts. She has been an invited speaker on engineering research, STEM education, and science policy to audiences on every continent, thus far, except Australia and Antarctica. Dr. Daniels-Race earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University, with an introduction to chemistry under the late Nobel Laureate, Professor Richard E. Smalley. She earned a master’s and a PhD, with a concentration in electro-physics, from Stanford and Cornell universities, respectively. She was awarded and is recognized as a Worley Professor of Excellence for her achievements in academia, industry, and government.

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