DENVER and AURORA, Colo. - The number of minority PhD candidates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the so called "STEM" disciplines) will expand thanks to a two-year grant of nearly a million dollars received by the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus Graduate School.
Candidates are being recruited now for the two-year Bridge to the Doctorate Program funded by the National Science Foundation under the auspices of the Colorado Alliance for Minority Participation.
The grant will provide a $30,000 yearly stipend and partial-tuition reimbursement to 12 student for two years each. Some of the funding – which totals $987,000 over 24 months - will go toward courses and workshops to help the students transition to their advanced-degree programs.
Programs span campuses
Recipients will matriculate into one of several STEM-related graduate programs at both CU's Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus. Programs of interest include Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science and Information Systems, Bioengineering, Integrative & Systems Biology and Biomedical Sciences.
"This is a wonderful opportunity," said Barry Shur, PhD, dean, Graduate School. "It gives our two campuses the chance to diversify the group of students seeking these advanced degrees. That alone is important.
"But this grant also allows us to recruit across the country for excellent scholars and researchers who we believe will become leaders in their fields, serve as role models for the next generation of minority students interested in STEM careers and contribute to our society," added Shur.
Supporting STEM disciplines
The PhD candidates will be recruited from among the 35 national NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, designed to increase the numbers and quality of minority students in the STEM disciplines.
The Colorado Alliance for Minority Participation (CO-AMP) is housed at Colorado State University and involves 11 state institutions, including CU's four campuses, the Colorado School of Mines, and six community and liberal arts colleges that primarily serve minority student populations.
The management team for the Bridge to the Doctorate Program consists of Shur; Brenda Allen, PhD, associate vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion; Dominic Martinez, senior director of the Office of Inclusion and Outreach; Gita Alaghband, PhD, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; James DeGregori, PhD, director of the Molecular Biology Program and a professor in the School of Medicine; and Stephanie Santorico, PhD, associate professor in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.
The Management Team is supported by two additional faculty, Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann, MD, director of the MD/PhD Program and professor in the School of Medicine; and Inge Wefes, PhD, associate dean of the Graduate School.
