Project STEP-UP was recently named in a “50 Essential Twitter Feeds for STEM Educators” list by Best Colleges Online. Project STEP-UP was listed in the “Underrepresented Groups” category.

“While jobs may be hard to find in many fields, when it comes to STEM professions, there often aren’t enough trained professionals out there to fill all the available positions,” it said in Best Colleges Online’s introduction to the top 50 list. “Add to that the fact that the U.S. often lags behind other countries in the world when it comes to math and science scores and you’ve got a big problem on your hands. These factors are a major part of the push for greater STEM educational initiatives in recent years, both on public and private organizations …”

EPOL graduate student Montrischa Williams manages the project’s Twitter account. Casey George-Jackson is the project manager for Project STEP-UP, as well as adjunct assistant professor in EPOL.

“The inclusion of Project STEP-UP’s Twitter feed in the Top 50 list is an acknowledgement of the importance of this type of research, and the need to continue to expand students’ participation in the STEM fields,” said George-Jackson. “We hope that this list will draw more attention to the many issues that surround underrepresentation in the STEM disciplines, as well as possible solutions.”

STEP-UP, which stands for STEM Trends in Enrollment & Persistence for Underrepresented Populations, is a study project that is investigating the underrepresented undergraduate students’ participation in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields at large, public, research universities. It focuses on the experiences of undergraduate women, students of color, and low-income students in STEM majors, and factors that impact their enrollment, persistence, and degree completion in the sciences.

The STEP-UP project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).