University of Puerto Rico, Cayey
To enhance and broaden pathways to Chemistry graduate programs for students from small undergraduate institutions in Puerto Rico
This grant funds an expansion of an ongoing partnership between the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey and the University of Buffalo to create sustainable pathways for undergraduate students at Puerto Rican universities to successfully pursue graduate degrees in chemistry. Grant funds will allow the partnership to expand by adding two undergraduate institutions in Interamerican University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón and Arecibo and one graduate partner in Texas A&M University. The collaboration’s activities center on hosting outreach seminars and other recruitment initiatives on the Puerto Rican campuses; selecting 6 students each year to participate in a 10-week summer research and mentoring program at Buffalo and Texas A&M; providing additional academic enrichment activities for selected participants during the academic year and summer; and providing paths to admission into University of Buffalo and Texas A&M graduate programs. Other activities include embedding graduate preparation workshops into existing curriculum at UPRC, expanding mentor training to more faculty at Buffalo and Texas A&M, and initiating transition awards for students who decide to pursue graduate study.