A $3 million grant was given to the Upstate Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation to promote diversity in STEM fields at Syracuse University and six other upstate New York colleges and universities.

The alliance, known as ULSAMP, ultimately hopes to increase the recruitment and graduation rates of minority students into science, technology, engineering and math fields.

‘This is a great beginning,’ said Can Isik, an associate dean and professor of Engineering at SU. ‘It’s really more than the money, it’s the way it allows us to collaborate.’

The grant, given in early December, will allow the seven schools to work together while making efforts to increase participation of African American, Latino American and Native American (AALANA) undergraduates in STEM fields.

‘Receiving this grant is quite impressive,’ Isik said. ‘Syracuse has a good track record with working with minority students.’

In order for such a program as ULSAMP to be given a grant it must first be pitched to a group of scientists who decide on its validity. Once the project is approved, the chances are about one in ten that it will receive funding.

The need for racial diversity within STEM fields and SU’s positive history in promoting diversity made it possible for ULSAMP to apply for the grant, said John Russell, biology department chair and professor

‘There is an extreme need for young people in these fields,’ Russell said.

As with most fields of study, minority students are underrepresented within science, technology, engineering and math concentrations in the New York schools receiving the money. The grant will help develop scientists of all ethnic backgrounds, Russell said.

The $3 million will be distributed among the seven schools involved and the funds will be used to recruit larger numbers of AALANA students to STEM fields. The ULSAMP will also use the grant to keep recruited undergrads on track and increase graduation rates in STEM fields, Isik said.

Max Perez, a freshman bioengineering major at SU, said without funding from the school, he probably wouldn’t be going through with an engineering major at the university.

‘There’s a lot of low income with these minority groups,’ Perez said. ‘A lot of kids aren’t able to finish without money.’

‘If they really want to do something with their lives, they’ve earned it,’ Perez said.

Published on January 15, 2008 at 12:00 pm