White students and underrepresented minority (URM) students show an equal level of interest in STEM careers when they enter college, but URM students encounter poorly understood barriers to successfully completing STEM degrees.

At the University of Virginia (UVA), there is a 45-point differential in the percentage of white and African American students graduating with at least a 3.0 GPA in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (85% versus 40%, respectively). Similar outcome differentials nationwide severely threaten America's STEM workforce readiness and future economic security.

The Crafting Success for Underrepresented Scientists and Engineers project seeks to identify effective ways to close the achievement gap for underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at UVA. In this project we are collaborating with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Provost's Office.