Collaborative Research: Expanding Access: Furthering a Network of Diversity-Focused Programs in the Physical Sciences

该奖项支持接入网项目，该项目旨在大幅提高物理科学领域的公平性和包容性。Access成立于2014年，是一个全国性的网络，汇集了9个项目，这些项目都利用最佳实践为物理和其他物理科学领域代表性不足的学生提供服务。该奖项将把网络从9个站点扩展到15个站点，并开始通过确定和招募新站点（特别是来自少数民族服务机构）来扩大网络活动，通过“入职研讨会”在新站点内建立能力，在新站点第一年集中指导，维持现有的接入网活动以支持强大的站点间社区。规划和实施内部和外部评估，以记录成功并支持站点的可持续性。这些活动将增强网络支持新旧站点的能力，从而使网络能够以更有效的方式接触到更多的学生。访问站点是仿照全国公认的加州大学伯克利分校的指南针项目。在一套共同的原则（例如，学生的声音，真实的学科参与）和一套程序化的产品（例如，指导，模型构建课程，社区活动，早期研究机会）的推动下，每个站点都是根据其独特人群的需求量身定制的，从罗切斯特理工学院的大量聋哑和重听学生到芝加哥州立大学的黑人通勤学生。该网络通过提供相关专业知识、社区支持、指导领导机会和一组共享资源来支持每个站点。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the Access Network, a project aimed at substantially improving equity and inclusion in the physical sciences. Formed in 2014, Access is a national network that brings together nine programs that all leverage best practices for serving underrepresented students in Physics and other physical sciences. This award would expand the network from 9 to 15 sites and begin to scale up network activities by identifying and recruiting new sites (particularly from Minority Serving Institutions), building capacity within new sites through an "onboarding workshop", intensively mentoring new sites in their first year, maintaining existing Access Network activities to support a strong intersite-community, and planning and conducting internal and external evaluation to document successes and support sites' sustainability. These activities will enhance the capacity of the network to support both old and new sites, thus allowing the network to reach considerably more students in more effective ways.Access sites are modeled on the nationally-recognized Compass Project at UC Berkeley. Driven by a set of shared principles (e.g., student voice, authentic disciplinary engagement) and a suite of programmatic offerings (e.g., mentorship, model building courses, community events, early research opportunities), each site is tailored to the needs of its unique population, ranging from a large number of Deaf and hard of hearing students at the Rochester Institute of Technology to Black commuter students at Chicago State University. The network supports each site by providing relevant expertise, community support, mentored leadership opportunities, and a set of shared resources.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.