A $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help The Institute for Meaningful Engagement at the University of California, Irvine identify and address environmental factors that are pushing underrepresented students out of STEM programs. 
Dr. Pheather R. Harris, director of the university’s California Alliance for Minority Participation, says the intervention will emphasize faculty involvement in student success.
She wants to see two outcomes from the project: “The first is for faculty to recognize who they are in this conversation we’re having about inclusion and be able to have the tools they need to continue the work of enhancing inclusive spaces. [The second is] for every single student to feel a sense of belonging, to feel seen and heard in their academic experience, and to achieve their full potential without the influence of the environment deterring them from their original goals and dreams.”
