Led by UConn, a higher education alliance focused on expanding diversity in STEM fields has received $3.5 million for its work from the National Science Foundation.
The seven New England schools that make up the Northeast Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NELSAMP) will use the five-year grant to continue developing a pipeline to increase the number of underrepresented students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, said Maria D. Martinez, UConn’s assistant vice provost of the Institute for Student Success.
In addition to UConn, which assumed a leadership role in the alliance this fall, the group is comprised of Northeastern University; Tufts University; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Rhode Island; and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Founded in 2001, NELSAMP works to raise recruitment, retention and graduation rates for students from racial and ethnic minority groups who are pursuing STEM-related undergraduate degrees. Over time, enrollment in the alliance has increased from 1,000 to 3,800.
The UConn LSAMP Program currently supports 125 students through advising, personal, and professional development, and by providing a community of scholars on campus.
