Building infrastructure for development of a diverse workforce: advancing underrepresented minority internships in stem program

The National Science Foundation awarded a $185,093 Project Grant to the National Consortium For Graduate Degrees For Minorities In Engineering And Science Inc. under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). The Consortium will deliver internship and graduate degree support services to increase diversity in STEM fields. Specifically, it will provide 12 underrepresented minority students pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry, physics, and chemical/environmental engineering with living stipends and tuition funding. It will also arrange paid internships for these students to gain work experience and network opportunities. The goal is to illustrate pathways to advanced STEM education and careers for underrepresented groups, advancing the NSF's mission of increasing STEM diversity and building a globally competitive workforce.

Abstract

With support of the divisions of chemistry, physics, and chemical, bioengineering, environmental and transport systems, the GEM consortium aims to improve diversity in the STEM workforce through a two-pronged approach. First, GEM encourages selected underrepresented minority (URM) students to pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields by ensuring that the students receive a living stipend and tuition while enrolled in a GEM member-university program. Next, GEM provides access to paid internships for the selected students, providing the students with work experience and networking opportunities. GEM also provides mentoring of students via mentors at the internship institutions. Ultimately this project works to illustrate and provide pathways for advanced STEM education and careers for URM students. Promoting progress in science and building a globally competitive workforce, a core part of the national science foundation's mission, requires increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This project provides training pathways for both PH.D. And master's level students in the STEM fields of chemistry, physics, and chemical and environmental engineering. GEM consortium-selected URM students apply to the university-member programs, and upon acceptance, GEM provides a stipend towards living expenses and tuition. The universities cover the remainder of the tuition, and in the case of PH.D. Level students, a living stipend (through teaching or research assistantships or other methods) for the duration of the degree. This encourages member universities to accept URM students, while assuring students of the economic feasibility of an advanced degree. A total of 12 students will be supported through this effort. These students also participate in a paid internship that GEM helps to arrange, which enables students to build a career network and provides them with work experience. These students and others supported through GEM will be part of a long term evaluation on the effectiveness of this approach. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.