Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM: The 49th NOBCChE Annual Conference National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support the participation of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows at the national annual meeting for the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) conference in 2022. This award is funded by Division of Chemistry. The NOBCChE meeting has become an important conference to recruit diverse global leaders in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and to create an inclusive environment in the broader scientific community. This conference will be held in person in 2022, for the first time since the COVID pandemic began. The PIs will use this as an opportunity to compare student outcomes between live and virtual conferences, providing insight that would be impactful to many other scientists and educators in STEM fields. This award will provide opportunities for participants to engage in four major areas of focus: (1) STEM Professional and Technical Development, (2) STEM Mentoring and Networking Opportunities, (3) Exposure to Prestigious Minority Models in STEM, and Academic and Professional STEM Career Advancement Opportunities, and (4) access to potential careers in the STEM workforce. Student participants will 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. NOBCChE 2022 will also serve to enrich the technical, professional, and leadership skill sets of student attendees and students working on committees with other senior leaders on conference planning and execution. 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.