ASLO Multicultural Program

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Hampton University and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) will continue to manage a program with the goal of increasing the numbers of under-represented minorities and under-served students who choose to pursue careers in aquatic sciences. This program is known as the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Multicultural Program (ASLOMP), and organizers seek to select diverse cohorts of students and match these students with professionals who act as mentors.

Participants receive a free membership in ASLO and support to attend the annual ASLO Winter meeting as well as special pre-meeting workshops. This award provides three years of support (2022-2024) for ASLOMP. ASLOMP objectives are to:

1. Expose students who are from a wide spectrum of ethnicities and backgrounds to cutting edge aquatic science through fully supporting their active participation in ASLO meetings where they also present their own research work.

2. Link diverse cohorts of students to opportunities for internships, advanced studies, special programs, and potential employment through interactions at ASLO meetings.

3. Continue to support new cohorts of students from under-represented groups and to support their participation in the networks of aquatic scientists.

4. Support the participation of scientists from under-represented groups to serve as mentors for the program and to serve in ASLO leadership positions.

The program uses an expansive understanding of multiculturalism and allocates about thirty of the sixty-five slots for students associated with the NSF-funded Ocean Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) sites. This allows all involved to increase cross-cultural competencies. ASLOMP uses a suite of special activities to enrich participant’s experiences, including keynote addresses, opening dinners, field-trips, a student symposium, and systematic support through a system of meeting-mentors.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.