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卓越公平部以及系统和合成生物学项目共同资助，支持Tyrslai Williams-Carter教授和Renã AS Robinson教授代表全国黑人化学家和化学工程师专业发展组织（NOBCChE）支持化学、化学工程、或参加相关学科组织的年会。化工企业的多样化是一个国家的挑战和优先事项，以加强国家的劳动力和美国保持全球竞争力。NOBCChE年度会议为化学，化学工程和相关学科的未被充分代表的学生提供了接触职业机会的机会，分享他们的研究进展和发现，访问专业导师和培训网络，并学习其学科领域的最新前沿研究。该项目围绕NOBCChE等组织的重要性及其年度会议，为代表性不足的群体提供STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）入学支持。该项目将在三年内评估其年度会议对参加会议活动的本科生和研究生的科学身份的有效性。此外，该项目将评估会议对学生STEM归属感的影响，并将衡量拟议活动对STEM就业和教育的影响。项目团队和NOBCChE组织致力于使STEM劳动力多样化，并确保代表性不足的群体拥有在STEM中取得成功所需的资源。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, 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.