2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Confidence, persistence, and research identity are key factors influencing students’ pursuit of graduate education; however, many engineering undergraduates have limited access to structured opportunities that support development of these attributes, particularly in preparation for competitive national fellowships. This study examines the impact of a scaffolded writing workshop series designed to support biomedical engineering (BME) students applying to the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Five senior BME undergraduates participated in a multi-week workshop consisting of five sessions focused on understanding fellowship expectations, drafting and revising personal statements and research plans, and incorporating feedback. Participants completed pre- and post-workshop surveys assessing perceived competitiveness, doctoral aspirations, and research identity using a combination of closed- and open-ended items; all data were deidentified prior to analysis. All participants completed the workshop series and submitted NSF GRFP applications. Prior to participation, two of five participants initially viewed themselves as competitive; following the workshop, four of five reported feeling competitive. Interest in pursuing a Ph.D. increased after workshop participation. Although participants entered the workshop with high confidence in their writing abilities and enjoyment of research, none initially reported strong ties to the research community. After completing the workshop, four of five participants reported developing strong connections to research. Collectively, these findings suggest that a short, sustained, community-oriented writing intervention can meaningfully support doctoral interest and research identity beyond what is achieved through mentored undergraduate research alone. This work motivates our ongoing development, scaling, and evaluation of structured fellowship preparation experiences, which can normalize participation in scholarly practices and support students’ transition toward graduate education.