U.S. News highlights UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program in a new feature article on highly successful national models for engaging and supporting black students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The article describes UMBC and Morgan State University as working to decrease longstanding racial and gender disparities in STEM-related employment and education.
The Meyerhoff Scholars Program enrolls exceptional students of all backgrounds who are committed to increasing the representation of minorities in science and engineering and who aspire to become leading research scientists and engineers. The program has found that offering students robust research opportunities, mentorship, and a supportive peer community, along with comprehensive financial aid, summer bridge programs, and other supports, yields tremendously positive results for student experiences and success.
Recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges reveal that UMBC is the #1 producer of African American undergraduates who go on to enroll in MD/PhD programs. In the 2011-2015 period, 15 UMBC alumni were enrolled in MD/PhD programs, more than double the #2 university, Yale.
“It has become a point of pride for the institution,” says Brit Kirwan, chancellor emeritus and regents professor of mathematics at the University System of Maryland, speaking of UMBC and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. “This is not a top-down mandate. Faculty, staff, students see this as a mark of distinction for the institution.”
Read the full article “Universities Ramp Up Black Students’ Interest in STEM” in U.S. News.
Image of Holly Summers (l) and Blossom Tewelde (r) ’14, biochemistry and molecular biology, from the Meyerhoff Scholars Graduation Dinner. Photo by Jim Burger for UMBC.
Tags: CNMS, COEIT, MeyerhoffScholars, Undergraduate Research
