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-LSAMP Margaret Jefferson & Katrina Yamazaki, Cal State LA
Dec 19, 2015
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