This award is funded by the Special Projects Program of the Chemistry Division of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. The Principle Investigator is Emanuel Waddell of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. This activity supports the participation of 135 undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral students at the 45th Annual National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) conference, held Sept. 17 - 20, 2018 in Orlando, FL. Selected participants are from underrepresented minority groups in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
This award provides opportunities for participants to engage in four major areas of focus: 1) technical and professional development; 2) networking and mentorship opportunities with professionals working in STEM fields; 3) exposure to high-profile minority role models in STEM; and 4) academic and professional STEM career advancement opportunities. Student participants interact with peers and professionals from industry, government, and academia to develop collaborations and to explore opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in the chemistry or chemical engineering disciplines. These opportunities may not only impact these specific participating individuals, but also benefit the larger community of STEM field practitioners as these activities are useful in recruiting and retaining individuals from underrepresented talent pools. NOBCChE seeks to increase the number of minorities in the STEM workforce.
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.
