North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) won third place and a $10,000 prize at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Taking action: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge in the four-year STEM Undergraduate category.

One of the highlights of NCAT’s entry was the Student Hangar, a resource hub that connects students with counseling, food, housing utilities, health care, transportation, social and protective services, and other resources that are attainable for them. The mobile app has the ability to help students and faculty to overcome the barrier associated with digital divide or health equity when working remotely from home or on campus.

The application was created after their multidisciplinary research team studied the promotion of retention of future STEM professionals from racially minoritized communities. The study was necessary after student engagement in classes started decreasing when COVID-9 forced online classes in March 2020.

The team conducted a survey and follow-up interviews with undergraduate students to explore psychosocial barriers that could be affecting their physical and mental health and academic persistence during the pandemic. From there, the team was able to identify resources on campus and in the community that can address those barriers.

The team created the app with the mission to increase student awareness about available resources, while also connecting them to those that can help them overcome psychosocial barriers as well.

“Our project is well-positioned to highlight the extent to which psychosocial risk factors, including poor access to technology resources related to the current extenuating circumstances, are having an impact on student out comes. This allows future scholars and practitioners to take steps in mitigating barriers to our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM,” the NC A&T team wrote.

Through the creation of he app, the university was able to be a highlight of NSF’s Taking Action Challenge, whose goal is to encourage institutes of higher education not think deeply about the long-term and negative impacts of COVID-19.