Greater Philadelphia Region LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (Cohort VIII) Program (BD Site: Drexel University)

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Drexel University, lead institution for the Greater Philadelphia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, will sponsor the alliance?s 7th Bridge to the Doctorate Program (BTD) during the 2010-2012 academic years. The university has advanced a strategic commitment to develop interdisciplinary research programs that will play an important role in continuing to build the research enterprise. The advent of a Major Research Initiative (MRI) program initiated in FY 2006-07 was designed to advance Drexel?s research strengths and will serve the research interests and futures of BTD participants. The goals of Philadelphia LSAMP's BTD Cohort VII program are to: (1) recruit 12 students into Master's programs at Drexel; (2) retain 100% of these students through the completion of the Master's degree; (3) transition fellows into the doctoral track of their STEM specialty with competitive fellowship support; (4) graduate 100% of the cohort with the PhD; and (5) monitor their progress into research active careersThe long-term impact of this investment will (1) increase the number and competitiveness of students from underrepresented groups entering STEM Ph.D. programs and persisting to the terminal STEM degree as well as increase the number of STEM professionals entering the professoriate; (2) advance knowledge in the STEM disciplines through the promotion of interdisciplinary research activity and the dissemination of information about best practices used to promote the retention of students from underrepresented groups; and (3) enhance the infrastructure for research and education through the development of support networks and partnerships within the Philadelphia alliance and beyond.