Program Overview for Faculty and Administrators

Overview

The GEM-STC Partnership is a straightforward approach to address the minority recruitment problem facing many Science and Technology Centers. To kick-start the partnership, supplemental URG funds have been provided by NSF's Office of Integrative Activities to fund four GEM-STC Fellowships at $20K each. These fellowships will be awarded next spring for the 2006/2007 academic year. Our intent is to use this small grant to catalyze a long term relationship with GEM and improve the STC's collective recruitment of minority students using not only these URG dollars, but all resources available: NSF-STC funds, individual PI grants, departmental monies, corporate GEM-fellowship awards, etc. Assuming the class of 2005 STCs join the partnership and others beyond 2005, the GEM-STC partnership will become a major portal to advanced S&E degrees for hundreds of minority students.

How can the GEM-STC Partnership benefit my STC Affiliated University ?  

This partnership offers universities a unique opportunity to recruit the nation's top minority engineering and science students. Through GEM's marketing and prescreening process, universities can select among outstanding fellowship candidates who already have a relationship with some of the top universities and corporations in the nation. In 2003, 625 minority students applied for MS and PhD GEM Fellowships and awards were made to 121 (19% acceptance rate; 35% of awards to women). GEM has over 2400 MS and PhD alumni.

STC Coordinators and PIs will be able to quickly identify students who have specifically expressed interest in their STC. Participating STCs will also have access to GEM's overall databases of 500+ minority candidates to review applications, make contact, and ultimately recruit the most appropriate candidates into their programs.

STC Commitments

1. GEM-STC Fellowship Support- The GEM-STC Fellowships derived from URG funds provide $20K in funding support for the first year of the fellowship only. This amount generally covers the cost of a student's stipend and therefore the receiving program must make up any other required costs such as fringe benefits, tuition, etc. STC or university-funded GEM-STC Fellowships may exceed $20K in the first year, but cannot be less than this amount. After the initial fellowship year the home university, college, department or PI guarantees any supplemental and continuing monies needed to support the student at a level equivalent to that of any research/teaching assistant. With advisor approval, GEM-STC Fellows may apply for GEM industry summer internships. The student retains GEM Fellow status for the duration of his/her enrollment. 

2. GEM-STC Partnership Building-  GEM-STC Fellows, on a yearly basis, will be encouraged to attend the GEM Annual Conference ("Future Faculty and Professionals Symposium"). This symposium offers parallel sessions for "junior" and "senior" graduate students and covers comprehensive topics including thesis and proposal writing, mentorship, career tracks in industry and academia, and entrepreneurship. STC students may be asked to present posters to illustrate the types of graduate research being conducted at STCs. STC faculty members will participate in a 1-day GEM workshop on mentoring. In addition, STC faculty will be expected to give a coordinated presentation on STC graduate opportunities and distribute STC program information to familiarize GEM staff and participants with the NSF-STC mission, research areas, and resources. These activities will continue each year with all costs for students and faculty borne by participating STCs.

Applicant Eligibility Criteria

Application deadline - November 1st, 2006

Candidates for participation in GEM-STC Fellowship Program are selected from the following underrepresented groups: African American, Mexican American, American Indian, Puerto Rican American, and other Hispanic Americans. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen at the time of application. In addition, the following requirements must be satisfied:

1. Applicant must apply through the GEM Program application process and agree to abide by GEM guidelines
2. Applicant must apply and be admitted to an institution's graduate program and specific discipline

If you have questions about the GEM-STC Fellowship program, please contact your GEM-STC Coordinator.

Visit GEM's website to learn more.