California State University-Los Angeles, partner institution for the California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP)will serve as the site for the 2010-2012 Bridge to the Doctorte (BD) program. The program provides support for a cohort of 12 underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and technology (STEM) disciplines.
This project contributes to advancing the NSF?s FY 2006-2011 Strategic Plan goal, which aims to: ?cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens.?
Students in the new cohort of BD Fellows will join the ranks of 80 students (out of the 90 admitted to seven prior CSU-LSAMP BD projects) who have completed Master?s degrees and/or are continuing to pursue STEM graduate studies.
Specifically, project support/activities will include: (1) substantial financial support for the initial two years of Master?s-level study; (2) rigorous course-work selected for each student in consultation with a Graduate Advisory Committee; (3) a two-year research experience under the close guidance of a faculty mentor; (4) professional development activities (e.g., workshops, seminars, conference participation); (5) monthly meetings to monitor student progress; (6) ?connecting? Fellows to doctoral programs through collaborations with faculty and programs at Ph.D. institutions; (7) assistance with applications to Ph.D. programs, financial aid and fellowship programs; and (8) leveraging linkages with related campus and system-wide diversity projects and utilizing linkages with AGEP institutions and other graduate education programs and organizations to encourage program interest in admission of CSU-LSAMP BD Fellows into Ph.D. programs.
Project Description: This project (HRD-1026102) is an NSF-LSAMP "Bridge to the Doctorate Activity" (BD) associated with the California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (HRD-0802628). California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), one of the 22 California State University campuses in CSU-LSAMP served as the "graduate institutional site" for this BD Activity. The goal of the project is to broaden participation of underrepresented minorities (URM) in doctoral level science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by providing a Master's level "bridge" to doctoral level studies for a cohort of 12 new Masters students recruited from the national pool of graduates of LSAMP undergraduate programs. Project Activities: The project included a variety of valued "best practices" for supporting and advancing LSAMP students toward completion of doctoral level studies in STEM. Specifically, project support/activities included: (1) substantial financial support for the initial two years of Master’s-level study; (2) rigorous course-work selected for each student in consultation with a Graduate Advisory Committee; (3) a two-year research experience under the close guidance of a faculty mentor; (4) professional development activities (e.g., workshops, seminars, conference participation); (5) monthly meetings to monitor student progress; (6) "connecting" Fellows to doctoral programs through collaborations with faculty and programs at Ph.D. institutions; (7) assistance with applications to Ph.D. programs, financial aid and fellowship programs; and (8) leveraging linkages with related campus and system-wide diversity projects and utilizing linkages with other graduate education programs and organizations to encourage program interest in admission of CSU-LSAMP BD Fellows into Ph.D. programs. Outcomes: CSU-LSAMP continues to find that the BD model it has developed is an effective strategy for advancing the goal of increasing participation in STEM doctoral-level study. This model, which provides financial, academic and professional development support at the Masters level, has proven successful in recruiting, retaining, and advancing talented minority students who, otherwise, would be unlikely to pursue doctoral level study. CSU-LSAMP BD fellows include students with deficits in their baccalaureate credentials and others with competitive credentials for direct entry into Ph.D. programs, but who were otherwise unable or hesitant to do so. For these students, the MA/MS program serves as a necessary "bridge" to doctoral-level study. Clearly, there is a great interest on the part of graduates of LSAMP programs for a Master’s level Bridge to the Doctorate of the type offered by CSU-LSAMP. Recruitment efforts yielded a total of 82 applications for the 12 slots. The final cohort included students from five different campuses with LSAMP programs. Specifically, of the 12 Scholars, seven were graduates of University of California campuses (UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA) and five were graduates of CSU LSAMP programs (CSULA, San Jose State University). The project was also successful in recruiting students from a diversity of STEM disciplines. Among the 12, there were three chemistry majors; four biology; one civil engineering; one chemical engineering; two physics; and one biochemistry major. All 12 BD-Scholars self-identified as Hispanic. At the end of the two-year project period, 92% (11/12) of the LSAMP BD Scholars were continuing in STEM graduate study. Of these students, 45% (5/11) have begun PhD programs at research intensive universities; and 55% (6/11) are continuing in their Cal State LA MS program and will apply for fall 2013 admission to PhD programs.
