Department News
UR Chemistry Selected as ACS Bridge Program Partner Site
December 16, 2020
We are delighted to share that the University of Rochester Department of Chemistry has been selected as a partner site for the American Chemical Society Bridge Program (ACS-BP)!
The ACS-BP is an effort to increase the number of chemical science PhDs awarded to underrepresented minority (URM) students. As part of the national Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN), ACS-BP is doing this by creating sustainable transition (bridge) programs and a national network of doctoral granting institutions that provide substantial mentoring for students to complete PhD programs successfully. Selection as a partner site followed a multi-step application process and the development of a bridge program tailored to the Rochester Chemistry PhD program. As a partner site, we will benefit from the opportunity to recruit students who apply to graduate school through the Bridge process, and we will participate in the broader network of institutions to learn from best practices in inclusive graduate education.
The ACS Bridge project incorporates practices from programs that have strong evidence of success in supporting URM students. The ACS-BP will also establish links between minority-serving and doctoral-granting institutions through research activities, collaboration, and personal contacts. Since many of today’s doctoral students will become tomorrow’s academic, industrial and government leaders, educating more URM PhDs will have a multiplicative effect in educating and inspiring students at all stages in the system and will help address persistent disparities.
For more information about Rochester Chemistry participation in the ACS-BP, please contact Professors Mike Neidig (michael.neidig@rochester.edu) and/or Rose Kennedy (c.r.kennedy@rochester.edu).