Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM: The 48th NOBCChE Annual Conference (Virtual)

This award will support the participation of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows at the national annual meeting for the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) conference in 2021. This award is jointly funded by Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research, both in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate, the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate, and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, and Transport Systems in the Engineering (ENG) Directorate.

The NOBCChE meeting has become an important conference to recruit diverse global leaders in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and to create an inclusive environment in the broader scientific community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NOBCChE conference will be held virtually this year. This award will provide the registration support to selected participants from populations that have been underserved in STEM.

In addition, this award will enable the development of a robust online platform for participant engagement.

This award will provide opportunities for participants to engage in four major areas of focus: 1) STEM technical and professional development; 2) networking and mentorship opportunities with STEM professionals; 3) exposure to prestigious minority role models in STEM; and 4) STEM career advancement opportunities. Student participants will interact with peers and professionals from industry, government, and academia to develop collaborations and to explore opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in the chemistry, chemical engineering and related disciplines.

NOBCChE 2021 will also contribute to the knowledge of best practices for supporting student engagement via hosting this STEM meeting in a virtual environment and providing digital access to a repository of intellectual property pre- and post-conference. The meeting will also serve to enrich the technical, professional, and leadership skill sets of student attendees and students working on committees with other senior leaders on conference planning and execution.

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.