AGEP-GRS: Conference: MPS AGEP-GRS Virtual PI and Student Convening

This project will enable the scientific community to better understand the impact of the MPS AGEP-GRS program, a supplement opportunity that has supported hundreds of graduate students from underrepresented groups studying Astronomy, Chemistry, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics. The virtual convening in spring 2021 will be open to the program’s community of awardees and students.

It will provide attendees with opportunities for professional and personal development surrounding inclusive practices in graduate education. The pre and post-meeting surveys and interactive sessions during the convening will be used to develop a report summarizing the challenges facing researchers as they work to support graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

The surveys will summarize the effects of the AGEP-GRS opportunities on the students receiving these fellowships and resources and identify best practices to support both of these groups. The outcomes of this effort will also inform disciplines beyond those funded by MPS by providing a clear picture of the benefits and barriers inherent in supporting students from marginalized groups.

This workshop will bring together critical stakeholders participating in the MPS AGEP-GRS program, along with leading researchers and organizations working to address systemic issues inhibiting inclusion in graduate education. The convening will provide an opportunity to investigate features of the MPS AGEP-GRS that positively impact success and propagate these insights throughout the community through professional development for attendees.

The project team is well suited to convene a steering committee, survey the community, develop a conference program, and execute the convening, with support from expert external evaluators. The pre-convening survey will identify challenges faced by current and alumni students and current and past awardees. Workshops and discussions at the convening as well as post-convening surveys will explore mechanisms for reducing these challenges.

This project will inform future generations of MPS AGEP-GRS grantees and students through impactful feedback and reporting. It will investigate and report the potential synergistic relationships between MPS AGEP-GRS faculty/students and NSF INCLUDES Alliance: IGEN participants and organizations.

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.