This REU site at the University of California, Berkeley has launched a new version of their Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) targeted to underrepresented groups in the field of psychology to impact the number of these students pursuing doctoral degrees both at Berkeley and elsewhere in the area. The Department of Psychology and the Graduate Diversity Program (GDP) have successfully hosted the earlier version of the summer research program for underrepresented students for 23 years with the goal of preparing students with advanced research skills in order to pursue a doctoral degree.
Intellectual Merit: This REU's goals are to provide students with (1) direct lab and research experience, (2) critical preparation for graduate study, and (3) greater expertise in Social Cultural Processes in Development and Mental Health. Specifically, the REU program exposes undergraduates to both the technical tools and professional culture of psychological science in this area while simultaneously generating increased rigor in all aspects of their summer endeavors. The relationship between the SROP REU students and their faculty and graduate student co-mentors are a key component of Berkeley's program. To accomplish these goals, clearly defined program objectives have been developed. This REU site creates an advanced research experience by placing students with faculty mentors who have volunteered their time and are committed to serving as dedicated mentors while providing opportunities for the students to engage in research projects closely aligned with their scholarly interests. Each student enters into a focused research apprenticeship where they are expected to produce at the end of their program a significant accomplishment resulting in a scholarly paper. Next, students gain critical preparation for graduate study by participating in a parallel program of weekly workshops focusing on advancing skills pertinent to obtaining a Ph.D. degree. Students are exposed to topics such as writing an effective research statement, obtaining graduate school funding, using scholarly resources, making effective oral and written research presentations, enhancing test performance, and more. Finally, this REU program seeks to increase the expertise of its students by exposing them to current issues in the area of Social Cultural Processes in Development and Mental Health via the research, a journal club, as well as seminars conducted by faculty and graduate students in the department. The REU students demonstrate their knowledge at the end of the summer to their faculty mentor and affiliates, lab co-workers, graduate students and university deans, department heads, students, and personnel by presenting their research results in a seminar.
Broader Impacts: Past interactions with students through various academically focused endeavors indicate that large numbers of underrepresented students seek to pursue advanced degrees in psychology. These students often express a desired goal of focusing on issues pertinent to race and gender as they interact with developmental, socio-cultural, and mental health variables. Conversely, entry into advanced degree programs in psychology both at Berkeley and other similarly ranked programs is extremely competitive, prohibiting eventual degree attainment, impacting national need. Providing trained scholars for the workforce will better address the important and difficult issue of diversifying mental health support systems as well as the professoriate, where research on race, cultural practices, social justice, bias, and coping mechanisms, are increasingly needed in a multi-racial society. With these factors in mind, this REU Site provides opportunities for the undergraduate students to be trained in these critical areas and have a significant impact on the future scientific workforce of the country.
, which generated increased rigor in all aspects of their summer endeavors. The relationship between the SROP-REU students and their faculty and graduate student co-mentors was a key component of the program. To accomplish our goals we developed clearly defined program objectives: To create an advanced research experience by placing students with faculty mentors who volunteered their time serving as dedicated mentors while providing opportunities for the students to engage in research projects closely aligned with their scholarly interests. Each student entered into a focused research apprenticeship where they were expected to produce at the end of their program a significant accomplishment resulting in a scholarly paper. Next, students gained critical preparation for graduate study by participating in a parallel program of weekly workshops focusing on advancing skills pertinent to obtaining a Ph.D. degree. Students were exposed to topics such as writing an effective research statement, obtaining graduate school funding, using scholarly resources, making effective oral and written research presentations, enhancing test performance, and more. Finally, we endeavored to increase the expertise of our students by exposing them to current issues in the area of Social Cultural Processes in Development and Mental Health not only with ongoing research, but with a journal club and frequent interactions with faculty and graduate students in the department. The REU students presented their results at the end of the summer to their faculty mentors and affiliates, lab co-workers, graduate students, university deans, department heads, UCB students, and staff. At the conclusion of the grant, several of the total 28 participants found positions in labs or clinical settings in order to strengthen their preparation for further study, while 17 of the total students (approximately 61%) were successfully admitted to a variety of highly competitive graduate programs in the field of Psychology. According to our annual survey of past participants, others will be applying to schools in the coming years and most are prepared and motivated to make a powerful impact in both the academy and more broadly, bringing thier unique perspectives as underrepresented scholars to the field of Psychololgy.
