The University System of Maryland (USM) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) Program (cohort 7) is a collaborative effort between the National Science Foundation and the USM institutions to increase the quality and quantity of underrepresented minorities matriculating and completing doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Since the first BD cohort matriculated at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2005, 74 BD Fellows have enrolled in STEM graduate programs at UMBC and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Since 2005, USM BD Fellows have earned 7 Ph.D. and 27 M.S. degrees; 50 fellows are persisting in M.S. or Ph.D. programs, 8 students in masters programs and 42 students in doctoral programs.
Since the inception of the USM LSAMP in 1995, the USM has remained a driving force in increasing the number of underrepresented minority (URM) baccalaureate degree recipients in STEM disciplines, and 8,480 STEM bachelor degrees have been awarded to underrepresented students. As a Senior-level Alliance, the USM LSAMP continues to work to increase the number of STEM bachelor's degrees awarded to URM students and the number of undergraduate URM students conducting scientific research and going on to pursue STEM doctorates. The BD program provides a cohort of 12 students who have participated in LSAMP Programs as undergraduates the opportunity to receive substantial funding and other critical support to successfully pursue graduate degrees in diverse STEM fields at the University of Maryland, College Park. The participants also have the opportunity, early in their academic careers, to conduct cutting-edge research with top research scientists on the UMCP campus and at national laboratories located in close proximity to the campus. BD Fellows:
-Participate in community meetings and individual advising meetings; -Serve as role models to current undergraduate LSAMP students in the process of applying for graduate school; -Present research at national and local conferences; -Present research and serve as mentors at the joint LSAMP/LSAMP-BD Research Symposium; -Participate in various seminars on campus in order to promote professional development and growth; and -Participate in joint USM BD cohort events such as the Summer Success Institute.
Many LSAMP students are members of groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in STEM fields. The BD Program increases the number of such students in the pipeline to earn doctoral degrees in these fields. In addition, activities are planned that will provide the participants with information about a variety of STEM career options, and help to motivate some of them to prepare for careers in the professoriate.
