This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) of the National Science Foundation, with additional support from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of general Medical Sciences) and the Department of Energy (Basic Energy Sciences) supports Prof. Rigoberto Hernandez of the Georgia Institute of Technology and his colleagues in their efforts through the Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE) at increasing participation in the chemical sciences by all members of American society, including members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. They will do this through a broad series of activities including workshops, assessments of interventions performed within chemistry departments, and broad dissemination of e.g. best practices.
Work like that of Prof. Hernandez and his colleagues is aimed at finding effective means for recruitment and retention of the most talented Americans into the chemical enterprise. Success in these efforts will have profound implications for American economic prosperity and continued competitiveness.