Bulletin of the American Physical Society
77th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the APS
Volume 55, Number 10
Wednesday–Saturday, October 20–23, 2010; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Session GA: Preparing Underrepresented Students for Graduate School |
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Chair: Laurie McNeil, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Room: Nicholson Hall 119 |
Friday, October 22, 2010 10:45AM - 11:15AM |
GA.00001: The APS Minority Bridge Program Invited Speaker: Physics has one of the lowest participation rates for underrepresented minorities and women of all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Things are improving for women and while still not representative of the population, the trends have been encouraging. Underrepresented minorities, however, have not been as fortunate. I will describe the current status of participation in physics, and a new program being launched by the American Physical Society that aims to significantly increase the number of minorities who receive PhDs in physics. The Minority Bridge Program is bringing together representatives from doctoral granting institutions and universities that educate minority students to establish a set of model programs based on the successes of existing efforts and capitalizing on the strengths of the American Physical Society. Our goal is to improve graduate education for all students by improving the opportunities for minority students. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 11:15AM - 11:45AM |
GA.00002: The Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters to PhD Bridge Program: Increasing Diversity in Physics Invited Speaker: The Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters to PhD Bridge program, a program which presently has more than thirty minority students in the pipeline headed for a PhD in physics or material science, and now including biology, will be described. A history of the program will be given, and the present status of the program described, including some metrics for measuring success. Our best understanding of the ingredients that have been necessary for the program to succeed will be discussed. Future plans will be described, and the speaker's view of the long-term future will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 11:45AM - 12:15PM |
GA.00003: Preparing Minority Students for Graduate School: The Model of the Timbuktu Academy Invited Speaker: The Timbuktu Academy is a comprehensive, systemic mentoring program at Southern University and A{\&}M College in Baton Rouge (SUBR), Louisiana. We define systemic mentoring as one that is woven into the core functions of an organization. For most universities, those functions include instruction, research, and service. While the Academy has programs for pre-college and graduate students, its Ten-Strand Systemic Mentoring Model was specifically tailored to undergraduate education. We discuss the paradigm, programs, activities and results of the Timbuktu Academy. The proper implementation of the Ten-Strand Systemic Mentoring Model couples teaching and superior learning, on the one hand, and integrates research and education, on the other hand. For undergraduate education, key strands include support (financially or otherwise), scientific advisement, research participation (academic year or summer), immersion in a professional culture, monitoring, and guidance to graduate school. From the summer of 1994 to 2009, the Academy has engaged 2,093 pre-college scholars in its summer programs. To date, the Academy has assisted in the production of one hundred seventy (170) minority undergraduate scholars who have earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Seventy (70) of 83 physics graduates, twenty (20) of 29 chemistry graduates, and twenty-two (22) of 49 engineering graduates have earned graduate degrees or are successfully enrolled in graduate school, with emphasis on the pursuit of the Ph.D. For the above model and results, the Timbuktu Academy received the 2002 U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring and the Benjamin Banneker Legacy Award in 2007. The handouts accompanying this presentation are intended to facilitate the adaptive replication of the Timbuktu Academy by individuals, departments, colleges and universities and other organizations. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 12:15PM - 12:45PM |
GA.00004: Minorities Road to Graduate School: The Xavier Experience Invited Speaker: During the past decade, Xavier University of Louisiana has ranked first nationally in the number of African American students who have earned undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, physics, and the physical sciences overall. Recent data shows that Xavier also ranks 8th in the nation in producing African American students who go on to earn science and engineering PhDs. A look at Xavier's ``way'' will examine several components that contribute to its success: pre-college preparation, recruitment programs, admissions policies, financial assistance, and academic monitoring programs. By promoting comprehensive recruitment and retention strategies and by leveling the playing field, Xavier experience may offer a paradigm and a model for increasing the pool of motivated, talented and well-prepared minority applicants ready to tackle the rigors of a graduate level education in physics. [Preview Abstract] |
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