Matthew Wolfgram
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Education Research
Many college students who start in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) majors leave before finishing. General research on college persistence points to weak preparation, thin academic and mental-health support, money problems, and juggling work and family.
- Fields
Education Research
Social Science
- Topics
STEM persistence
STEM education
higher education
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2027
What they work on
- Identify factors that help or hinder STEM persistence among Hmong American students at Wisconsin universities, using a survey and repeated interviews over time.
- Interview STEM educators and advisors across participating institutions. Combine their views with student data to build theory on what shapes STEM pathways for all college students.
- Determine when students become interested in STEM careers and which experiences best support career development and the transition into STEM jobs after graduation.
More about the research
Far less research looks at what keeps students in STEM specifically. This study uses the experiences of Hmong American college students in Wisconsin as a starting point. From there, it aims to identify factors that shape STEM pathways for all college students.
Why it matters
Many talented students leave STEM majors before graduating. By identifying what helps or hinders persistence, starting from Hmong American students' experiences, this work could inform college advising, teaching practices and institutional policies that keep more students on track to STEM degrees and careers.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Melanie Van Stry
Lane College, TN·Education Research
Redesign foundational STEM courses at an HBCU with active learning and course-based research, and train faculty in these teaching methods.
Eddie Red
Morehouse College, GA·Education Research
Investigate how HBCUs with diverse academic cultures graduate African American STEM students at higher rates than other institutions, using convergence research across the Morehouse, Spelman and Virginia State hub and about fifty partner HBCUs.
Matthew Bahnson
University of Cincinnati, OH·Education Research
Measure how often engineering doctoral students change research labs and identify predictors and career outcomes, using a new longitudinal survey.
The school
University of Wisconsin-Madison: 91 labs on PI Pages, $1.9B a year on research, 854 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.