Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM: The 47th NOBCChE Annual Conference (Virtual)

University Of Mississippi, University MS

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the participation of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral students at the Annual National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) conference, held Sept. 24-25, 2020. The 2020 NOBCChE conference is in a virtual format in 2020 due to disruptions from COVID-19. Selected participants are from underrepresented minority groups in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. In addition to providing registration support for students, this award enables the development of a robust online platform for participant engagement. This is funded by Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research, both of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Science Directorate, and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, and Transport Systems as well as the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, both of the Engineering Directorate. The Principle Investigator is Godfrey Murrell of the University of Mississippi. This award provides opportunities for participants to engage in four major areas of focus: 1) STEM technical and professional development; 2) networking and mentorship opportunities with STEM professionals; 3) exposure to prestigious minority role models in STEM; and 4) STEM career advancement opportunities. Student participants interact with peers and professionals from industry, government, and academia to develop collaborations and to explore opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in the chemistry, chemical engineering and related disciplines. This is accomplished through a virtual conference. These opportunities not only impact these specific participating individuals, but also benefit the larger community of STEM field practitioners as these activities are useful in recruiting and retaining individuals from underrepresented talent pools. NOBCChE seeks to increase the number of minorities in the STEM workforce. The compression of the typical weeklong NOBCChE conference to two days is augmented by post conference access to various materials. Assessment plans enable the comparison of prior in person NOBCChE events to this first ever virtual event. 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.