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 quality of STEM graduate students from underrepresented populations, with emphasis on PhD matriculation and completion. BD programs implemented in the nation's institutions of higher education contribute to addressing one of the objectives in NSF's 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, namely to "foster the growth of a more capable and diverse research workforce and advance the scientific and innovation skills of the Nation." The vision of this grant is to provide a national model to produce underrepresented scientists and engineers with doctoral degrees in STEM.
The performance site for this LSAMP BD Activity is California State University, Los Angeles, one of the 23 California State University campuses included in the California State University-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. The project provides a Master's level "bridge" to doctoral-level study for a cohort of 12 graduates of LSAMP undergraduate programs. The Master's-level experience is designed to increase participant persistence and competencies in STEM and their advancement to PhD programs following completion of the Master's degree. In addition to providing substantial financial support to enable students to focus full time on a two-year program of Master's-level course work and research, the project provides an integrated set of activities designed to advance BD students toward completion of doctoral level studies. Activities include: (1) regular meetings with the BD project directors to monitor student progress and provide comprehensive advising; (2) workshops focused on information/tools needed for adjustment to and success in graduate school; (3) writing support; (4) weekly professional seminars; (5) community building activities; (6) connecting Fellows to doctoral programs through collaborations with faculty and programs at PhD institutions; (7) journal reading club; and (8) assistance with applications to PhD programs, as well as fellowship opportunities and financial aid.
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.
