Smooth Transition for Advancement to Graduate Education (STAGE) for Underrepresented Minorities in Mathematical Sciences: A Pilot Project

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The gender and ethnic composition of the general US population and workforce is far more diverse than its science and engineering workforce. According to the latest data, during the decade 1998 -2008, underrepresented minorities (URMs) received an average 6.6% of the doctoral degrees awarded to US citizens in the mathematical sciences even though URMs constitute about 25% of the general population [Source: The American Mathematical Society]. The "Smooth Transition for Advancement to Graduate Education (STAGE) for Underrepresented Minorities in Mathematical Sciences: A Pilot Project" is designed to better prepare more URMs to pursue graduate studies in the mathematical sciences and other STEM areas. The STAGE project envisages a rigorous summer training program for juniors and seniors in cooperation primarily with Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), which includes a partnership with five Louisiana HBCUs. Over a period of three years, qualified students will be brought to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) campus during each summer to work under the close supervision of a project team (PT) of four faculty members. The students will attend intense crash courses on relevant topics followed by guided research projects. They will also be trained in other professional activities including paper writing, seminar presentations, and class-room teaching. The goals of STAGE include: (i) helping students broaden their vision about applications of mathematical sciences in other fields; (ii) enhancing students' inquisitiveness in solving applied problems; and (iii) creating a nurturing environment where the students will be immersed in a realistic graduate school experience which will enhance their ability to make a smooth transition from undergraduate to graduate studies. The broader impacts of STAGE will include - (i) diversifying the mathematical sciences community; (ii) creating a critical mass of a more qualified workforce for a better economic atmosphere; (iii) helping bridge the achievement gap between majority and URM communities in advanced mathematical training; and (iv) setting a model for the rest of the country where HBCUs can partner with other universities in a cooperative manner to increase URM participation in mathematical sciences graduate studies. Upon successful completion of this pilot project, STAGE will be expanded to include more URM students, research faculty members from HBCUs, and URM faculty members from other universities.