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 competitiveness of STEM graduate students from historically underrepresented minority populations, with emphasis on STEM doctoral matriculation and completion.
The 2018-2020 Wisconsin LSAMP BD (WiscAMP-BD) program will recruit twelve (12) alumni from LSAMP institutions nationwide for STEM postbaccalaureate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The program leverages activities of the institution's Graduate Engineering Research Scholars Program (GERS), the Graduate Research Scholars Program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (SciMed GRS) and the Teaching, Mentoring and Research for Science (TEAM Science) programs, including faculty mentored research and communities of practice. Twenty-four BD participants are currently matriculating in STEM doctoral programs at the institution. Student support in the form of stipends and cost of education are provided for two years for each student. The institution commits to assisting the students financially through completion of the STEM doctoral program.
Evaluative activities will assess outcomes of students' accomplishments relating to retention, degree completion, and career progress. Social psychological outcomes related to career goals and expectations related to STEM identity development will also be assessed. Outcomes will be disseminated broadly through the institution's website, scholarly journals, and presentations at STEM professional conferences. These efforts will increase the diversity of STEM academic leadership and contribute to the growing literature on broadening participation in STEM at the graduate and post-graduate level.
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.
