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Motivated by assessment of externally awarded grants and internal programmatic practices, we used transcript and demographic data for students entering a highly selective residential liberal arts college between 2002-2015 to answer institutional-level questions about course taking patterns and pathways relevant to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We used transcript data to categorize a student's intention to major in STEM at three points: their first semester, at the end of sophomore year, and at graduation. Students took several paths toward graduation including complete persistence in STEM, early switching, late switching and double switching. Using this classification scheme, we investigated any potential gender effect or "new building effect" and compared participation in an integrated introductory chemistry and biology course sequence to traditional discipline-specific sequences. For students where self-reported data on intention existed, either from matriculation surveys or major declaration, we compared our transcript classification with self-reported interest in STEM. Relying solely on institutional level data provides an inclusive, unbiased analysis with minimal missing data.

Purpose To address minority health disparities in maternal and child health (MCH), increasing the diversity of the MCH workforce is an important strategy. Description Guided by the MCH Leadership Competencies, we developed an undergraduate pipeline program for disadvantaged students. Our target population is minority undergraduates who are interested in entering health professions but have academic challenges. We identify these students early in their undergraduate careers and expose them to the field of MCH through a 4-unit course, summer field practicum at an MCH community-based organization or agency, and volunteer experience in a student-run organization focused on helping children and families. We also provide academic advising and personal counseling by a faculty mentor and leadership training opportunities. Assessment Since 2006, 75 students have participated in our program, of which 36 are still enrolled and 39 have graduated. Among the graduates, three (8 %) have completed graduate school and are working in a health field; 11 (28 %) are enrolled in graduate school; and 13 (33 %) are currently applying to graduate school. Of the remaining graduates, seven (18 %) are employed in a health field, and five (13 %) are working in an unrelated field. Conclusion Pipeline programs should attempt to reach students as early as possible in their undergraduate careers to more effectively influence their academic trajectories. Many minority students face academic and personal challenges; therefore, intensive academic advising and one-on-one faculty mentoring are important components of pipeline programs., Author(s): Alice A. Kuo[sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.5] [sup.6] , Bobby Verdugo[sup.1] , Faye J. Holmes[sup.1] , Katherine A. Henry[sup.2] , Julie H. Vo[sup.3] , Victor H. Perez[sup.4] , Moira Inkelas[sup.5] [sup.6] [...]

Vertically‐stacked organic light emitting diode (OLED) microcavities form 1D metal‐dielectric photonic crystals (MDPC) with many degrees of freedom for engineering complex emission profiles. The photonic band structure of the MDPC OLED is determined by the underlying unit cell and is particularly sensitive to the properties of the metallic electrodes. The electronic requirements of microcavity OLED fabrication often necessitate dissimilar metallic electrodes to achieve good performance. This can profoundly impact the photonic properties of a MDPC by doubling the unit cell length. This work presents a MDPC OLED formed with single‐cavity unit cells by employing optically similar Ag alloys as the semi‐transparent electrode materials. The crystal is found to display a single photonic band without a band gap up to eight stacked cavities. The states within the band are evenly‐spaced and clearly resolved, which is critical for applications seeking to utilize specific photonic states. Design considerations are presented for optimizing the photonic behavior of MDPC OLEDs through selective control of the optical properties of metallic alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by assessment of externally awarded grants and internal programmatic practices, we used transcript and demographic data for students entering a highly selective residential liberal arts college between 2002-2015 to answer institutional-level questions about course taking patterns and pathways relevant to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We used transcript data to categorize a student's intention to major in STEM at three points: their first semester, at the end of sophomore year, and at graduation. Students took several paths toward graduation including complete persistence in STEM, early switching, late switching and double switching. Using this classification scheme, we investigated any potential gender effect or "new building effect" and compared participation in an integrated introductory chemistry and biology course sequence to traditional discipline-specific sequences. For students where self-reported data on intention existed, either from matriculation surveys or major declaration, we compared our transcript classification with self-reported interest in STEM. Relying solely on institutional level data provides an inclusive, unbiased analysis with minimal missing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]