LSAMP BD: North Carolina State University Preparing Researchers of the Future (PROF) NC-LSAMP

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in diversifying the STEM workforce through the development of highly competitive students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African-Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. The goal of the LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) Activity is to increase the quantity and competitiveness of STEM graduate students from historically underrepresented minority populations, with emphasis on STEM doctoral matriculation and completion. The 2018-2020 North Carolina LSAMP (NC-LSAMP) BD program will recruit twelve (12)alumni from LSAMP institutions nationwide for STEM postbaccalaureate studies at North Carolina State University Student support in the form of stipends and cost of education are provided for two years for each student. The institution commits to assisting the students financially through completion of the STEM doctoral program. NCSU's strategy focuses on the student and develops a comprehensive supportive program that will increase the student's confidence in being a strong and productive STEM researcher; increases the student's connection to their research advisor; increases their ability to assess and contribute towards their research topic; increases their connection to the university and surrounding community; and, increases their overall well-being. The project activities adds new knowledge to the literature related to the impact of proximal influences on the persistence of minority graduate students. In addition, the proposal will add new insights into strategies that lead to positive outcomes during the interactions within the different proximal influences. At the conclusion of this program, the BD participants will be armed with robust and resilient strategies that will allow them to maintain their persistence through the Ph.D. degree. Our faculty will be instructed in new mentoring techniques to help improve their interactions with their graduate students. Our study will be the first to explore the impact of an advisory panel for each graduate student to improve the overall well-being of the graduate student and their persistence through the graduate program. Evaluative activities will assess outcomes of students' accomplishments relating to retention, degree completion, and career progress. Social psychological outcomes related to career goals and expectations related to STEM identity development will also be assessed. Outcomes will be disseminated broadly through the institution's website, scholarly journals, and presentations at STEM professional conferences. These efforts will increase the diversity of STEM academic leadership and contribute to the growing literature on broadening participation in STEM at the graduate and post-graduate level. 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.