Conference: Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM: The NOBCChE Annual Conference

该奖项由化学部、材料科学部、STEM HBCU-UP卓越平等部以及系统和合成生物学项目共同资助，代表全国黑人化学和化学工程师专业促进组织(NOBCChE)支持Tyrsli Williams-Carter教授和Renãas Robinson教授支持化学、化学工程或相关学科的学生参加该组织的年度会议。化工企业多元化是一项全国性的挑战，也是加强美国劳动力和美国保持全球竞争力的优先事项。NOBCChE年度会议为化学、化学工程和相关学科中代表性不足的学生提供了获得职业机会的机会，分享他们的研究进展和发现，访问专业导师和培训网络，并学习各自学科领域的最新前沿研究。这个项目解决了关于像NOBCChE这样的组织及其为STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)入学的代表性不足群体提供支持的年度会议的重要性的问题。该项目将在三年多的时间里评估其年度会议对参与会议活动的本科生和研究生的科学身份的有效性。此外，该项目将评估STEM会议归属感对学生的影响，并将衡量拟议活动对STEM就业和教育的结果。项目团队和NOBCChE组织致力于使STEM劳动力多样化，并确保代表不足的群体拥有在STEM取得成功所需的必要资源。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award, jointly funded by the Divisions of Chemistry, Division of Material Science, Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM HBCU-UP, and the Systems and Synthetic Biology Programs, supports Professor Tyrslai Williams-Carter and Professor Renã AS Robinson on behalf of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) to support students in chemistry, chemical engineering, or related disciplines to attend the organization’s annual conferences. Diversifying the chemical enterprise is a national challenge and priority to strengthen the nation’s workforce and for the US to remain globally competitive. The NOBCChE annual conference provides opportunities for underrepresented students in chemistry, chemical engineering, and related disciplines to be exposed to career opportunities, share their research progress and findings, access a network of professional mentors and training, and learn the latest cutting-edge research in their disciplinary areas.This project addresses questions around the importance of an organization such as NOBCChE, and its annual conference on providing support for underrepresented groups to matriculate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The project will evaluate over three years how effective its annual conference is on the scientific identities of undergraduate and graduate students that participate in conference activities. Additionally, the project will evaluate the impact of the conference sense of belonging in STEM for the students and will measure outcomes of the proposed activities on STEM employment and education. The project team and NOBCChE organization are committed to diversifying the STEM workforce and ensuring underrepresented groups have the necessary resources to be successful in STEM.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.