A Bridge to the Future

谁进入大学感兴趣的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学科的学生坚持，优秀，并通过接触到智力挑战类，奖励研究机会和有意义的指导关系的组合前进。不幸的是，许多学生，特别是那些来自STEM学科历史上代表性不足的群体的学生，没有经历过这种结合，并且从未来的科学家中消失，严重后果的科学劳动力在美国的哥伦比亚大学桥梁计划的目的是给代表性不足的职位，那些可能错过了这些因素中的一个或全部的学士学位获得者，程序申请人。该计划对研究经验的重视促进了科学发现;其灵活的课程，专业发展和指导提高参与者的技能，同时创造一个结构化，严格和支持性的环境，使他们能够为成功过渡到研究生课程做好准备。该计划将资助桥梁计划的参与者，从而直接促进了广泛的研究项目在整个物理科学和增加在干代表性不足的群体的参与。桥梁参与者被聘为全职研究助理长达两年。他们在教职员工，博士后研究人员和研究生的指导下进行研究，获得资金支持专业费用，并有资格获得大学福利。参与者每学期至少注册一门课程，并参加每月一对一的进度会议与该计划的助理主任。该计划还组织了一些专业发展研讨会，提供GRE考试准备，并与哥伦比亚继续教育学院合作，以确保在哥伦比亚取得成功，并促进博士申请。程序.在接下来的几年里，十几个桥梁校友将获得博士学位，使一个开始到结束的影响，该计划已对其参与者的轨迹评估。该计划的评估小组将对计划要素进行评估，并开发一个可与STEM社区共享的数据驱动的最佳实践模型。

Students who enter college interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines persist, excel, and advance by being exposed to a combination of intellectually challenging classes, rewarding research opportunities, and meaningful mentoring relationships. Unfortunately, many students, and particularly those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines, do not experience this combination, and are lost from the pool of prospective scientists, with serious consequences for the scientific workforce in the U.S. The Columbia University Bridge Program is designed to give underrepresented post-baccalaureates who may have missed on one or all of these elements the opportunity to make themselves more competitive Ph.D.-program applicants. The Program's emphasis on research experience advances scientific discovery; its flexible coursework, professional development, and mentoring enhance participants' skills while creating a structured, rigorous, and supportive environment in which they can prepare themselves for a successful transition into a graduate program.This program will fund participants in the Bridge Program, thereby contributing directly to a wide range of research projects across the physical sciences and increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM. Bridge participants are hired as full-time research assistants for up to two years. They conduct research under the mentorship of faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students, are provided with funds to support professional expenses, and are eligible for university benefits. The participants enroll in at least one course per semester, and attend monthly one-on-one progress meetings with the Program's Assistant Director. The Program also organizes a number of professional development workshops, provides access to GRE test preparation, and partners with Columbia's School of Continuing Education to ensure success while at Columbia and to facilitate application to Ph.D. programs. In the next few years, a dozen Bridge alumni will earn their Ph.D.s, enabling a start-to-finish evaluation of the impact that the Program has had on its participants' trajectories. The Program's evaluation team will conduct assessments of programmatic elements and develop a data-driven model of best practices that can be shared with the STEM community.