$5 Mill Multi-School Program Aimed at Doubling Minority Students in STEM Fields Announced

Rutgers University, Newark, Will Host Oct. 20  Celebration to Launch Garden State LSAMP

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CHIEF LISA JACKSON, RANDAL PINKETT WILL HELP LAUNCH  ALLIANCE TO DOUBLE UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATH 

 

WHAT:  A celebration to officially launch the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP),  a $5 million, five-year, multiple-school program that aims to substantially increase the numbers of under-represented minority students graduating – and eventually, pursuing careers -- in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM fields. Highlights of the launch program include an overview of GS-LSAMP and the success of the national LSAMP program, and opportunities for the media to question speakers.

 

WHEN:  Oct. 20, 4 – 6 p.m.

 

WHO:  Main speakers are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief, Lisa Jackson, and Randal Pinkett, CEO of BCT Partners; Gov. Jon Corzine is an invited speaker. Other speakers include Chancellor Steven Diner, Rutgers, Newark; Dr. Alexander Gates, chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at Rutgers, Newark, and project director;  and Dr. A. James Hicks, program director of LSAMP, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Human Resources Development, National Science Foundation.  In addition, Dr. Louis Beaugris, a graduate of a previous LSAMP program – now a successful researcher and professor – will explain how LSAMP impacted his life and career.  Dr. Beaugris, assistant professor of mathematics at Kean University, earned his B.S. as a participant in the City University of New York LSAMP program, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Iowa.

 

WHERE: the University Club, Paul Robeson Campus Center, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., at Rutgers University, Newark

 

BACKGROUND:  THE GS-LSAMP addresses two critical situations: the growing shortage of math and science professionals in the U.S., and the under-representation of  African-Americans, Native Americans and Latinos in the STEM fields.  GS-LSAMP aims to double the numbers of underrepresented minority students graduating – and eventually, pursuing careers -- in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.  Rutgers University, Newark, is leading a consortium including Kean University, New Jersey City University, Essex County College, Bloomfield College, Montclair State University, Farleigh Dickinson University/Teaneck, William Paterson University and Rutgers University, New Brunswick in the five-year program, which is funded through a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

 

GS-LSAMP provides academic support programs, including tutoring and peer-led team learning sessions in which upperclassmen help younger students through difficult STEM classes that have traditionally been a barrier to success and retention.  It also offers opportunities for undergraduates to conduct hands-on laboratory research with faculty members. Other activities include community service, visits to local high schools for recruitment, and internships.

 

 

The GS-LSAMP is the first such program in New Jersey in 15 years.

 

The award is named for civil rights activist, lawyer and 15-term Congressman Louis Stokes, the first African American member of Congress from the State of Ohio.  During his Congressional career he was especially active in health care and public health issues, serving on the Pepper Commission on Comprehensive Health Care.  Stokes also was the founder and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.

 

 

CONTACTS:  Carla Capizzi, 973/353-5263, or Helen Paxton, 973/353-5262.