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.

The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Undergraduate Program (MSRI-UP) at the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath, formerly MSRI) is a comprehensive six-week summer program for undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional potential for and interest in pursuing graduate studies in mathematics. The goal is to identify talented students, especially those from underrepresented groups, and make available to them meaningful research opportunities and a community of academic peers and mentors. Each year, MSRI-UP invites 18 students to the UC Berkeley campus, where their academic curriculum consists of two weeks of structured coursework followed by four weeks of supervised, group research. Additionally, students attend workshops on applying for and succeeding in graduate school, including career conversations with professional mathematicians. Weekly research colloquia feature a variety of mathematical topics and applications. At the end of the summer, students produce formal reports and give oral presentations on their research to their cohort and invited guests. MSRI-UP programming continues throughout the following year, focused on how to present work at research conferences, submit articles for publication, and eventually apply for graduate school.

This grant renews support to Howard University for an ongoing project to strengthen its economics department and bolster its research capacity. Howard is the only Historically Black College or University with an economics doctoral program and one of just 20 granting both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. Grant funds will be used to increase Howard’s capacity to recruit, educate, and graduate students through providing tuition support for 8 doctoral students and research stipend support for 1 postdoctoral scholar, 5 undergraduates, and 5 graduate students.  Other grant funds for faculty professional development will target roughly 10 early- and mid-career faculty members, offering opportunities to attend key conferences, seminars, workshops, and other activities. Taken together, the efforts aim to 1) elevate the impact and influence of Howard University within the field of economics; 2) cultivate a more resilient and extensive research standing; and 3) increase the number of diverse Ph.D. economists and educators.