Bridge to the Doctorate Cohort 8: BD Site: Jackson State University

Jackson State University, Jackson MS

Investigators

Abstract

The Louis Stokes Mississippi Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-MAMP), under the leadership of Jackson State University (JSU), will add an 8th cohort of Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) students during the 2010-2012 academic years. This will be accomplished by continuing the synergy between LS-MAMP partners that have transformed the instructional, research and administrative aspects of cooperation among these institutions in ways never before envisioned. The program addresses the institution's continued efforts to solve the critical shortages of underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. The goal of the LS-MAMP BD Program is to establish a secure pathway for underrepresented minority students to obtain doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines. This project will build upon existing relationships between JSU and major national and international universities; national laboratories such as LBNL and LLNL; and NSF programs such as CREST, AGEM, IGERT, etc. to increase the number of minority students enrolling and matriculating in MS and Ph.D. STEM graduate programs within and outside of the state of Mississippi. Disciplines targeted for graduate studies include: chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, environmental science, and engineering. NSF support will continue to accelerate and increase the numbers of minority students entering the Ph.D. pipeline and subsequently providing the Nation with well-qualified and diverse scientists and engineers for employment as faculty members for U. S. universities and colleges, for example. The success of the LS-MAMP BD Activity is based upon the theory that minority students who pursue the M. S. degree, have the potential to complete the Ph.D degree in STEM areas if provided sufficient financial support, rigorous curricula, committed mentoring and national and international extensive research experiences.