Communications of the ACM
Rutgers niversity in Newark to Lead Nine-School Consortium to Double Minority Students Majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
Rutgers University in Newark is leading the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP), a $5 million, five-year, multiple-school project created to significantly increase the number of minority students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Funded by the National Science Foundation, GS-LSAMP aims to double the number of minority students completing undergraduate degrees in STEM disciplines in five years by providing academic support programs, such as tutoring and peer-led team learning (PLTL).
PLTLs are sessions in which upperclassmen help younger students through STEM classes that have traditionally been a barrier to retention and success. "If we can get students beyond the difficult introductory 'gateway courses' that scare off many of them, we can improve retention of minorities in the STEM fields," says GS-LSAMP project director Alexander E. Gates.
GS-LSAMP also will boost minority student participation by providing opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct hands-on laboratory research with faculty members. Other initiatives include community service, visits to local high schools for recruitment, and internships.
Other schools participating in the program include Kean University, New Jersey City University, Essex County College, Bloomfield College, Montclair State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University/Teaneck, William Paterson University, and Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
From Rutgers University
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