NSF Award
1647400
Non-Technical Description<br/><br/>This award to the Associated Universities Inc/National Radio Astronomy Observatory supports the participation of 45 undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs to the Fall Workshop of the National Society of Black Physicists: Skills and Professional Development Strategies for Minority Physicists. The Workshop will be held in Batavia, Illinois on October 27-30, 2016. The Workshop is supported by the Department of Energy and it will target 300 participants and offer clinic-style and practical training sessions related to applications, interviewing, developing research statements, obtaining letters and other career related topics. A specific forum will address the needs of junior faculty at HBCUs. Because the HBCU Physics Department Chairs meeting will also be held during the Fall Workshop, there will be a unique opportunity for a chair-junior faculty conversation regarding professional development opportunities. This provides a unique opportunity for students to interact with faculty at all levels. In addition, data will be collected on how such meetings and professional membership organizations can influence broader participation and workforce capacity among under-represented minorities in STEM, especially African American physicists. This will have help with planning future workshops for broadening participation. The award is supported by four Divisions, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorates for Mathematical Sciences, and the HBCU-UP program in the Directorate of Education and Human Resources.
