Using Research in Physics to Increase Freshmen Retention Rates

Many university physics programs struggle with increasing or retaining freshmen students. At Valdosta State University, historically the retention rate in physics has been very low, ~33%. In Fall 2017, our department started examining ways to increase our retention rate by using freshmen research opportunities. That year, two freshmen female students were invited to participate in research. Both of these students were retained to their sophomore year. With the limited success that year, in Fall 2018 we invited 7 of the 15 incoming freshmen to participate. The students participated in five projects throughout the year in astrophysics and plasma physics. All seven students were retained to their sophomore year. This presentation will discuss the effectiveness of the program for the two cohorts of students, including graduation rates, as well as how the program has changed due to COVID-19.