The Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation proposes to extend its activities into Phase II. The Georgia LSAMP Partner institutions include the four United Negro College Fund institutions in Georgia: Clark Atlanta University, the lead institution, and Morehouse, Paine and Spelman Colleges. Georgia State University, the State supported urban university and Atlanta Metropolitan College, the 2-year college partner round out the Alliance. The Georgia LSAMP is one of the nations most productive in terms of being among the top baccalaureate-origin institutions of Black STEM doctorate recipients: 1991- 1995 and 1997-2001. The unifying themes of the Phase II program include focused recruitment and retention, required research participation, student financial support and graduate school enrollment. The Georgia LSAMP in Phase II will significantly increase the number of STEM baccalaureate degrees, impact more than 15,000 undergraduates, increase the number of undergraduate degree recipients entering graduate school each year by 10 percent and increase retention each year by 10 percent. Student objectives for Phase II include pre-transfer bridge activities for two-year college students, required research participation for all LSAMP scholars, and at least 50 percent of all baccalaureate degree recipients will complete research experiences. Faculty objectives include providing opportunities to improve instruction skills, such as using new technologies and becoming more effective mentors. Curriculum objectives are designed to revise introductory courses as a mechanism to improve retention.
This year ninety two science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students had the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, peer tutoring and mentoring across the George Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GA LSAMP) partner institutions which include two comprehensive universities: Clark Atlanta University (CAU) and Georgia State University (GSU), and three undergraduate colleges: Atlanta Metropolitan State Collage (ANSC), College, Morehouse College, and Paine College. In addition to research opportunities a significant number of these students participated in STEM club activities on their campuses and additional volunteer activities, such as, tutoring high school students. LSAMP participants also had the opportunity to hone their leadership skills by serving as team activity leaders. Eight (students from GA LSAMP institutions participated in the GA LSAMP sponsored Summer Research Explorer program. The program this year gave the students an opportunity to develop and construct environmental sensors that were attached to a high-altitude balloon that was launched in early July from a facility in Palmdale, California. The students then had the opportunity to analyze the data and present their results to other students in the program. Twenty GA LSAMP students were placed in summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates at major research institution and federal labs during the summer of 2013. Thirty six Alliance students presented their research at the GA LSAMP Spring Symposium hosted by Clark Atlanta University on April 13, 2013. All presentations were judged by a panel of judges made up from the Alliance institutions and other metro Atlanta colleges and universities. The GA LSAMP program is based on Tinto’s model of advancement through faculty mentoring, early research exposure, peer study groups, participation and presentation at conferences, career awareness, tutoring, and academic enrichment. The GA LSAMP also provides students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields with financial support, that in many cases allows these students to devote time to these research and educational activities that in many cases would be devoted to jobs that do not advance their career goals. The GA LSAMP program has increased the number of underrepresented minority STEM students in the pipeline and graduates that augment the regions and the nations STEM workforce.
