The CSU-LSAMP BD Program at Cal State LA: A Structured Approach to Student Development and Advancement to Ph.D.

Lisa Hammersley, Lead Project Director, CSU-LSAMPMargaret Jefferson & Katrina Yamazaki, Cal State LA

OUTLINE CSU-LSAMP History of the Bridge to the Doctorate and CSU-LSAMP The BD-X Cohort at Cal State LA: Model of Success Cal State LA Background Program Components Formula for Success – What have we learned?

CSU-LSAMP Alliance includes all 23 Campuses of the California State University

Serves ~3,000 undergraduate students per year

Senior-level alliance, focus on research and graduate school preparation

Broad range of activities from academic support to professional development

Statewide Office located at CSU Sacramento

http://www.csus.edu/csu-lsamp/

HOW DO WE INCREASE THE NUMBER OF URM STEM GRADUATES CONTINUING ON TO THE

Ph.D. AND ENTERING THE STEM WORKFORCE?

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS FOR URM STUDENTS?

CSU-LSAMP & Bridge-to-the-Doctorate

11 Cohorts over 14 years

San Francisco (BD-I, BD-IV)

Northridge (BD-VII, BD-IX)

Cal State LA (BD-II, BD-III, BD-V, BD-VIII, BD-X, BD-XI)

TARGET:Students, who for financial, academic, or personal reasons, may be hesitant or not sufficiently prepared to apply directly to a Ph.D. program at a research-intensive university.

GOAL:Provide activities that allow the students to develop the confidence and competencies needed for admission to, and success in, a highly competitive Ph.D. program.

Site Selection

Our campuses are very different Rural/Urban Large/Medium/Small Strength of research infrastructure varies widely

Some of our campuses could not host a successful BD cohort

Some don’t want to Big campus commitment in time and $$$

WITH 23 CAMPUSES IN THE ALLIANCE, HOW DO WE DECIDE WHO SHOULD HOST A BD COHORT?

Site Selection

Pre-proposal process (3-4 months)

Competitive process within CSU-LSAMP

Begins one year before proposal due date

Campuses interested in being a BD project site must prepare a pre-proposal Leadership team – experience, broad range of disciplines biographic

sketches Commitment from campus administration Commitment from potential research mentors – broad range of disciplines Campus – explain why it makes a good site, track record with diversity,

infrastructure etc. Recruitment plan and selection of Fellows Connections to/partnerships wtih PhD-granting institutions Structured program of activities Demonstration of prior success if acted as project site in the past

WITH 23 CAMPUSES IN THE ALLIANCE, HOW DO WE DECIDE WHO SHOULD HOST A BD COHORT?

Site Selection

Pre-proposals are carefully reviewed by the Program Oversight Committee

Use a standardized evaluation form

Points assigned for different components of the proposal Strengths/qualifications of leadership team Diversity of grad student population at site/track record of diversity Recruitment/selection plan that assures a strong cohort of 12 Fellows Assurance of diversity of STEM disciplines/research infrastructure Strong program of activities and training experiences Appropriate allocation of educational costs Ability to connect to doctoral programs/strong linkages Ability to leverage on-campus resources Strong evaluation and tracking plan

WITH 23 CAMPUSES IN THE ALLIANCE, HOW DO WE DECIDE WHO SHOULD HOST A BD COHORT?

Site Selection

Submitting campuses are notified of the outcome Receive detailed feedback on the reviews, those not selected are given

pointers for future selection rounds

Successful campus begins work on the NSF proposal Also received detailed feedback Proposal must address any weaknesses noted during the pre-proposal

review

Statewide Office works with the campus to complete the NSF proposal

Pulls the proposal components together Creates a cohesive proposal Puts together the budget

WITH 23 CAMPUSES IN THE ALLIANCE, HOW DO WE DECIDE WHO SHOULD HOST A BD COHORT?

CSU-LSAMP & Bridge-to-the-Doctorate

10 cohorts completed

90 Fellows received M.S. or M.A.

64 continued to Ph.D. programs

17 have earned Ph.D., 4 have earned M.D.

5 have entered the professoriate

3 are physicians

Many are employed in STEM professions

Dr. Candice PriceAssistant Professor MathematicsUnited States Military Academy, West Point

Dr. Renaldo BlockerAssistant Professor Healthcare Systems EngineeringMayo ClinicFounder of the Why You? Initiative whyyou.org

HOW HAVE WE DONE SO FAR?

OUR RESULTS HAVE BEEN IMPROVING OVER THE YEARS

BD Cohort X, Cal State LA Cohort of 12 students, 2012-2014

9 female, 3 male

7 Hispanic, 1 Pacific Islander, 2 African American, 1 multi-racial, 1 Middle Eastern

5 Biological Sciences, 2 Engineering, 2 Environmental Science, 1 Physics, 1 Mathematics, 1 Computer Science

BD Cohort X, Cal State LA: OUTCOMES 10/12 graduated with M.S. within 2 years, the remaining 2 will graduate in December

10/12 accepted into Ph.D. programs for Fall 2014:

University of Illinois University of Tennessee UC Riverside Georgia State University Oregon State UniversityUC Merced Claremont Graduate University UC San Diego

OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL COHORT IS THE OUTCOME OF A CAREFULLY DEVELOPED

PROGRAM AT CAL STATE LA

Monica DilizAccepted into ten Ph.D. programs.

Cal State LALocated in the one of the largest and most diverse cities in the US

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)

Over 20,000 students

Extremely diverse student population

Research intensive undergraduate/masters institution

Largest undergraduate LSAMP program in

the CSU-LSAMP (over 600 participants)

Cal State LA

 

Racial/Ethnic Group

Total CSULA

Enrollment

Total STEM

Bachelor’s Degree Students

Total STEM Master’s Degree

Students

African American 1,094 5.3% 179 5.0% 40 7.1%

Hispanic 12,969 62.9% 2,356 65.8% 346 61.3%

Native American 23 0.1% 4 0.1% 2 0.3%

Pacific Islanders/Native Hawaiian 95 0.5% 11 0.3% 8 1.5%

Asian 3,732 18.1% 659 18.4% 112 19.8%

Non-Hispanic White 2,299 11.2% 315 8.8% 48 8.5%

Total Students 23,258   4,004   634  

72% are first generation in college attendance

Cal State LA: Bridge to the Doctorate

Dr. Margaret JeffersonProfessor of GeneticsCSU-LSAMP Coordinator

Dr. Katrina YamazakiAssistant Professor of BiologyCSU-LSAMP Co-Coordinator

Dr. Andre EllisAssociate Professor of Environmental GeochemistryCREST Center for Energy and Sustainability

Dr. Carlos GutierrezProfessor of ChemistryMORE (Minority Opportunities in Research) Programs

Leveraging Campus Resources Project Directors represent three important programs on campus

University Writing Center

MORE Programs

NSF LSAMP-BD

ACS Project SEED for HS Students

NIH MBRS-RISE

NIH MARC U*STAR

NIH Bridges to the Future

NIH Bridges to the PhD

Cal State LA, BD program components Two-year program that culminates in a Master’s degree in STEM

Financial Support

Rigorous graduate-level coursework and research

Regular advising meetings

Workshops on preparing for the Ph.D., with year-long set of structured assignments

Writing support

Weekly professional seminars

Making connections with doctoral programs

COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM: ACADEMIC/SOCIAL/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Recruitment and Selection

Program information sent out to all CSU-LSAMP campuses, UC campuses, and nationally

Selection committee – BD coordinators plus potential research mentors

Application consists of transcripts, verification of prior participation in LSAMP, GRE scores, background information, research interests

Research mentors assigned provisionally to all applicants before review of applications

Selection based upon Quality of candidates Achieving a diversity of disciplines Attention to disciplines with low diversity

THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP NEW TALENT

Financial Support

Stipend of $30,000/year for two years

Additional $10,500/year for: Tuition and fees Research supplies Travel

Students are allowed to work as teaching assistants for one quarter

Campus strives to support students for a third year if they do not complete the M.S. degree within the two years of the program.

ALLOWS FELLOWS TO FOCUS FULL-TIME ON COURSEWORK AND RESEARCH

Rigorous program of courses

Cal State LA offers M.S. degrees in 18 STEM disciplines

The majority of the programs have a strong interdisciplinary component

Degree requirements: 45 quarter units in approved courses Minimum 3.0 GPA in all courses Writing proficiency requirement Completion and defense of a thesis

DEVELOP THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE OF FELLOWS, INCREASE THEIR GPA

Meaningful research experience

All BD Fellows must identify a research mentor during their first quarter

Mentors are invited to LSAMP-BD meetings

Mentors provide progress reports to BD directors

BD Fellows, with their research mentors and BD directors, draft a two-year research plan

BD Fellows must produce a research prospectus by the end of the second quarter

BD Fellows must present research at LSAMP meetings and at least one professional conference

INCREASE CONFIDENCE & COMPETITIVENESS

BD Advising

Prior to first quarter, Fellows develop a two-year plan for graduation

Fellows meet with BD directors at least once quarterly for an in-depth advising meeting

Research mentors provide progress reports and are invited to participate in advising sessions

Advising sessions are devoted to discussion of: Academic progress Research progress Issues/concerns

Additionally, BD directors send out regular emails reminding students of upcoming deadlines, meetings, and other opportunities

CAREFUL MONITORING OF STUDENT PROGRESS, EARLY INTERVENTION WHEN NEEDED

Workshops

Monthly meetings throughout the two-year program

Workshops address: Campus resources for graduate students Responsible conduct of research How to write a CV NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship program Graduate school application process The graduate school interview process Life as a Ph.D. student and potential challenges along the way* Surviving the first year of a Ph.D. program* Presentation of research

*Workshops conducted by BD graduates who are now in Ph.D. programs

INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY APPLY TO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

Structured Annual Assignments

Year 1: Focus on Application to Ph.D. Programs

Fall Quarter: Identify 25 potential Ph.D. programs

Winter Quarter: Narrow list to 10 Ph.D. programs, include reasoning

Spring Quarter: Identify potential research advisors and draft initial email

Summer Quarter: Make contact with potential advisors, create detailed calendar of application deadlines

Year 2: Focus on Application to Ph.D. Programs and Funding Opportunities

Fall Quarter: Completion of applications for NSF-GRFP

Winter Quarter: Practice interviews

Spring and Summer: Research presentations

MAINTAIN FOCUS ON, AND PROGRESS TO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

Writing Support

Fellows are expected to take advantage of writing resources at Cal State LA:

CSULA Writing Center MORE Writing Support Center

LSAMP-BD activities focus specifically on writing: Development and maintenance of an effective CV Development of an effective statement of purpose for graduate

school and fellowship applications Research proposal in NSF format

IMPROVE APPLICATION QUALITY, SCIENCE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Seminars

Fellows are expected to attend seminars/colloquia in their disciplines throughout their time at Cal State LA

Within their departments At other campuses

Fellows must evaluate the talks they attend and provide written evaluations to the BD Directors.

Summarize the content Evaluate the quality of the work presented Ask questions about the work presented

Fellows are also expected to present their work at CSU-LSAMP meetings at Cal State LA. Undergraduate LSAMP participants evaluate their presentations

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS SCIENTISTS/ENGINEERS/MATHEMATICIANS

Connections to Ph.D. institutions BD Directors have established strong linkages with UC campuses. Arranged visits to UC Riverside and UC San Diego

Participation in the Graduate Diversity Forum

BD Directors organized a Northern California Graduate School Trip UC Davis UC Berkeley Stanford UC Santa Cruz

Coordinated with Office of Graduate Studies on each campus to create a structured tour: Presentation about the school and application program, campus tours, lab tours in Fellows’ disciplines, opportunities to meet with faculty and graduate students.

MAKING A FUTURE IN A DOCTORAL PROGRAM FEEL REAL

Formula For Success: Lessons Learned We focus on students who may not be confident or prepared enough for direct entry to Ph.D. programs

We are developing new talent – truly adding students to the pool

Can’t just accept students into the program, give them a stipend, and expect them to graduate and move on to a Ph.D.

Must be deeply involved with their development and help them visualize futures as doctoral students and professors

This approach is intrusive and time-consuming but it works

IT’S A LEARNING PROCESS – FIND WHAT WORKS & IMPROVE UPON IT CONTINUALLY

Formula For Success: Accountability CSU-LSAMP Statewide Office provides oversight

BD Project Directors evaluate all activities through feedback forms and outcomes

BD Project Directors provide detailed annual reports to the Statewide Office

CSU-LSAMP Lead Project Director conducts annual site visits at BD sites Meets with BD Project Directors Meets with BD students Lab visits with BD students Attends BD/LSAMP meeting

BD Project Directors and Statewide Office staff track all BD students for 15 years

EVALUATION IS IMPORTANT: FIND WHAT WORKS & IMPROVE UPON IT CONTINUALLY

Thank you! Questions?