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Icon for: Denise Yates

DENISE YATES

University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois LSAMP

Bridge to the Doctorate at the University of Ilinois at Chicago

NSF Awards: 1500368

2019 (see original presentation & discussion)

Graduate

The NSF LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate at the University of Illinois at Chicago engages aspiring independent scientists to participate in programming and activities designed to aid the Fellows in seeking new avenues toward becoming leaders and contributing members of the STEM workforce. Program components and activities are designed to facilitate academic and professional success.  Important outcomes of the BD at UIC, beyond completion of the PhD, is the participation of fellows in collaborative research and post-graduate placement into STEM careers that will propel them into positions of leadership in academia and industry. The Bridge to the Doctorate Summer Institute serves as the catalyst for transitional programming as the new fellows prepare for their entry into doctoral study in their respective disciplines.  The program employs a multi-pronged approach incorporating academic and professional development, mentorship, peer support and community building, and professional networking. 

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Discussion from the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase (13 posts)
  • Icon for: Ellis Bell

    Ellis Bell

    Researcher
    May 13, 2019 | 09:55 a.m.

    How much follow up after the summer institute is involved with the students and faculty?

  • Icon for: Denise Yates

    Denise Yates

    Lead Presenter
    Director for Programs
    May 14, 2019 | 03:02 p.m.

    Hi, Dr. Bell.

    Thank you for your question.

    The Bridge to the Doctorate at UIC (BD at UIC) Summer Institute is the the vehicle used to facilitate transition of the incoming BD Fellows. The institute runs from mid June to just before the start of the fall term in August. The Fellows are interacting with faculty mentors in their respective academic departments (ALL STEM at UIC included) through initial development of an individual development plan (IDP-updated each semester through graduation), research lab rotations and short course offerings. Followup is ongoing from their arrival in summer to graduation, well after the 2-year funding period. Academic and professional support supplement mentor activities. it must be noted that the BD at UIC is the graduate wing of the Illinois LSAMP. Without their guidance and support the BD at UIC would not be possible.

  • Icon for: Jay Labov

    Jay Labov

    Facilitator
    Senior Advisor for Educaition and Communication (Retired
    May 13, 2019 | 03:18 p.m.

    Thank you for preparing and submitting this video. The comments from the people who have participated are compelling. I think it would help viewers of your video if you could answer a few questions that the video generated for me:

    1. For people who may not be familiar with the LSAMP initiative, could you offer a few words about its vision and goals nationally, or point viewers to a website that describes these things? 

    2. I know that you are looking to attract people to Bridges to the Doctorate at UIC, but there are many people who might want to be part of the LSAMP initiative who would not go to UIC. The NSF website should help them better understand their opportunities.

    3. Does UIC have a special emphasis in the disciplines, programs, or types of students who you are trying to recruit that may be different than other LSAMP programs? If so, what are those emphases?

    4. Your description indicates that your program "...engages aspiring independent scientists to participate in programming and activities designed to aid the Fellows in seeking new avenues toward becoming leaders and contributing members of the STEM workforce." Who are these independent scientists? Are they only or primarily from the Chicago area? How would scientists who are interested in helping the fellows apply to do so?

    5. Could you provide some additional information about the metrics you are using to evaluate the impact of your efforts?

    I hope these comments and suggestions are helpful.

  • Icon for: Denise Yates

    Denise Yates

    Lead Presenter
    Director for Programs
    May 14, 2019 | 03:38 p.m.

    Hi, Dr. Labov.

    Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments and questions!

    I will answer in the order asked:

    1. The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) has been around since the early 90s! The best resource for national information can be found at http://lsmrce.org. This is the website of the Louis Sokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence. They are specifically charged with the dissemination of information about all things LSAMP!. On that website visitors will find background/historical information about LSAMP, Alliance locations and membership, BD locations and contact information, in addition to a plethora of resources and information for faculty and students alike. A solid source of LSAMP info to be sure.

    2. The LSAMP and BD awards search page on tlhe National Science Foundation website (http://nsf.gov/awardsearch) provides links to all LSAMP awardees. Each link routes visitors to the abstracts for each project awarded including alliance and BD awards. There are more than 50 alliances from as far west as Hawaii and as far east as Puerto Rico. I am a proponent for the application of a "good fit"methodology for any student pursuing a STEM doctoral degree. Each BD project/institution has its own strengths and I would strongly encourage aspiring STEM scientists to reach out to any and all BD programs to determine if their academic program offerings, learning environment, etc meet that "good fit" criteria. We are, at the end of the day, seeking to Broaden Participation in STEM.

    3. The specific emphasis and graduate academic level of the fellows is determined by each respective Bridge to the Doctorate program. The National Science Foundation awards support to approximately 12 BD programs annually across the country. Some are masters programs, some are doctoral programs  and some are hybrids. Funding support is at the level of $1,075,000 to fund 12 fellows for 2 years. The BD at UIC was one of the 1st ALL STEM PhD Bridge to the Doctorate programs, resulting in a 100% rate of students enrolled in PhD programs. Our goal was to provide a true bridge to the PhD.

    To date BD at UIC Fellows' academic disciplines have included: Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Bio-engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry (Analytical, General, & Organic), Civil & Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, Microbiology & Immunology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physics, Physiology & Biophysics.

    4.The aspiring independent scientists come from all over the country! Our 64 BD at UIC Fellows have hailed from 19 separate regional LSAMP alliances. The subjects in our video: Dr. Geovannie Ojeda Torres, UIC PhD class of 2015. His field is analytical chemistry and his undergraduate institution was the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras; Dr. Thessicar Antoine-Reid UIC PhD class of 2014. Her field is microbiology and immunology. Dr. Antoine-Reid earned her baccalaureate degree in biology from Oakwood University in Alabama. By the way, Dr. Antoine-Reid completed her PhD studies in 4.5 years with 11 publications!; BD at UIC alum and Chemical Engineering PhD candidate Deisy Arrington is currently doing collaborative international research at the University of Bordeaux (France) and will return to the United States with a dissertation chapter and publishable results.

    We would be happy to answer any questions. Best contacts are Denise Yates (BD at UIC Director and Site Coordinator) at dyates@uic.edu , Dr. William Walden (Professor, Microbiology & Immunology and BD at UIC Executive Directro) at wwalden@edu or Dr. Christopher Botanga (Illinois LSAMP Project Director at lead institution Chicago State University) at cbotanga@csu.edu.

    5.  in the spirit of broadening participation in STEM and toward increasing the number of persons entering STEM PhD programs, STEM PhDs earned and persons entering the STEM workforce BD at UIC is very proud of the following: of the 64 fellows funded by the program all 64 entered PhD programs. To date there have been 30 earned PhD degrees, 9 earned Masters degrees, 21 remain in PhD study. 4 students left the program prior to earning any degree and of those 2 were dropped from their academic programs for lack of academic progress. Of the 30 earned PhDs: 27 have entered STEM-related careers. The remaining 3 are iin the process of identifying the best placement match to start the next chapter in their career.

  • Icon for: Deb Cole

    Deb Cole

    Higher Ed Administrator
    May 17, 2019 | 11:17 a.m.

    For those looking for the LSAMP information, please visit the pilot project website: http://lsmce.org 

    We have launched the new LSMRCE website (just funded in Sept 2018) and the site is under development. 

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Denise Yates
  • Icon for: Michelle Quirke

    Michelle Quirke

    Project Manager
    May 13, 2019 | 05:14 p.m.

    Useful information to share with students. My cohort of STEM students enjoyed watching. 

  • Icon for: Denise Yates

    Denise Yates

    Lead Presenter
    Director for Programs
    May 14, 2019 | 04:11 p.m.

    Hi, Ms. Quirke.

    Thank you for your comment!

    Please keep up the referrals to your students and provide our contact information so that we can answer any questions about the graduate school experience at UIC or anywhere they desire to go. Although we clearly want students to consider UIC we offer encouragement  to find the best possi le educational match for themselves.

     

  • Icon for: Ivory Toldson

    Ivory Toldson

    Facilitator
    President and CEO
    May 15, 2019 | 12:22 p.m.

    Hello All! My name is Ivory Toldson, professor at Howard University, president of Quality Education for Minorities, and one of the facilitators for the STEM for All Video Showcase. The conversation is off to a great start and I will be chiming in with my own input this afternoon and over the next few days. I'm excited about what we can achieve for the next generation of STEM learners!

  • Icon for: Judith Dilts

    Judith Dilts

    Facilitator
    Professor Emerita of Biology and Retired Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
    May 16, 2019 | 01:44 a.m.

    This is an excellent program. So many students graduating from college are not prepared for graduate school and do not really understand what is required. Programs like this help prepare graduate students to be successful. What sorts of things are included in the IDP? Does the student work with their faculty mentor to update it each semester? What courses are offered in the summer program? Thanks for your commitment to the success of your students.

  • Icon for: Denise Yates

    Denise Yates

    Lead Presenter
    Director for Programs
    May 16, 2019 | 08:43 a.m.

    Hi, Judith 

    Thank you for your comments and questions.

    Our IDP is actually comprised of a long form completed by the students providing a self-assessment of  their research and academic skills.  There is a short form checklist completed by the faculty mentor. The checklist lists skills along with skill mastery expectations. Mentor and student discuss to merge input toward development of initial IDP.  Joint update required each semester through graduation.

    Summer  institute courses have included technical writing, critical thinking skills development, mathematics for science review, short courses in respective disciplines to introduce students to doctoral level lecture, examination and performance expectations, intoduction to library resources, and introduction to department of grants and contracts database and proposal development resources.

     

     

  • Icon for: Ivory Toldson

    Ivory Toldson

    Facilitator
    President and CEO
    May 16, 2019 | 01:07 p.m.

    Thank you for sharing this video and the comprehensive responses you have provided to the questions you have received thus far. I was very impressed by the students that are highlighted in the video. They did very well communicating their appreciation for the opportunities provided by this program. 

    What have you found to be the most challenging aspects of the program for students? How have these challenges been addressed?

  • Icon for: Denise Yates

    Denise Yates

    Lead Presenter
    Director for Programs
    May 16, 2019 | 03:14 p.m.

    Hi, Ivory.

    Like you, our team is committed to facilitating the success of the next generations of STEM scientists.

    In answer to your question:

    Students share that fear of the unknown and fear of failure are the most stress-provoking obstacles.  For whatever reason students present with thoughts of not belonging at the doctoral level,  convinced that they will fail, won't fit in with others in their academic programs, etc.

    Our transition programming, at the heart of the BD at UIC Summer Institute, provides opportunities for the students to assimilate into the cultures of which they are now a part.

    Whether it is adjusting to different and sometimes higher expectations, a new academic environment, moving to the big city, not knowing anyone, knowing where to go to church, where to get a haircut, or perceived intimidation by the powers that be,  BD at UIC programming helps to address the students' needs.

    Teaching the students how to work jointly with their faculty mentors in defining the academic relationship, helping the students  to build and be an active participant in a supportive community of peers, faculty, and administrators,  guiding them in becoming more independent thinkers, and asserting themselves to be more proactive in their graduate educational experience are ongoing activities from matriculation to graduation and professional placement.

     

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Ivory Toldson
  • Icon for: Deb Cole

    Deb Cole

    Higher Ed Administrator
    May 17, 2019 | 11:15 a.m.

    Hi Denise, 

    Fantastic Video! We are so proud to partner with ILSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate program and fellows. The ILSAMP BD program is prolific in producing PhDs and PhD/MDs and we always look foward to connecting with the BD Fellows in developing peer-mentoring opportunities with the undergraduate STEM students. 

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.