The NSF EPSCoR RII-BEC program (UNLV Pipe-UP) aims to serve the national interest by increasing the number of students completing undergraduate and graduate degrees and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, which is critical to United States global competitiveness. The project is designed to mitigate challenges and barriers imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on students who have been the most affected in STEM disciplines, namely students from groups who have been historically underrepresented in STEM. The investigators (UNLV's Office of Undergraduate Research, Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, and College of Sciences) will engage a cohort of twenty students who will be guided for four years from undergraduate studies to graduate school. The project will provide these students with onboarding, academic preparation, advising and educational planning, social and networking opportunities, and financial support to increase student retention, progression, and graduation rates.

Information regarding the application process, program staff, the program handbook, and more is available on the UNLV Pipe-UP website.