Science and Technology Centers

QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MINORITIES (QEM) NETWORK INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TO SUPPORT THE PARTICIPATION OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (STCs) SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)

Dr. Ivory Toldson, Psychology Howard University 2006 STC Faculty Summer Appointment conducting research at Emory University, STC partner site for CBN, the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience Dr. Narayanan Rajendran, Biology Kentucky State 2006 STC Faculty Summer Appointment conducting research at Cornell University, at the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) Jose Cruz-Campa, Ph.D. Candidate Electrical Engineering/Computer Science University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) 2006 STC Doctoral Student Summer Internship conducting research with the Scanning Electron Microscope at the Center on Materials and Devices for Information Technology Research (CMDITR) at the University of Washington, Seattle

Project Summary

The QEM Network received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop an internship program to ensure that a significant number of underrepresented minority* students participate in the research activities at the Centers established under NSF's Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships Program.

More specifically, the NSF support has enabled the QEM Network to:

• design, develop, and administer a program to recruit, select, and place doctoral students underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in paid summer and academic year research internships at the NSF-supported STCs;
  [ Click here to see information on previous student awardees.]

• identify and match STEM faculty at minority institutions offering master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM fields with STCs, based upon common research interests to establish ties between STCs and a set of institutions that are potential sources of student interns; and
  [ Click here to see information on previous faculty awardees.]

• prepare and disseminate broadly a directory describing research opportunities at each STC to facilitate the matching of student and faculty research interests with those of specific STCs

Summer doctoral internships provide a $5,000 stipend, round-trip airfare to and from the host STC Institution, and a housing allowance of $1,600 that can be applied to either on- or off-campus housing.  Academic year doctoral internships carry a stipend of $30,000, plus a $10,500 cost of education allowance for the host institution. 

The Faculty summer research appointments carry a stipend of $9,000, and travel and housing allowances are available in addition to the stipends.

The internship program builds upon the QEM Network's more than 15 years of experience administering a science-focused internship program for undergraduate and graduate students and enables QEM to focus on STEM doctoral students whose research interests match those of the participating STCs. QEM has prepared a directory of research opportunities available at each Center to facilitate recruitment and matching of research interests.

Eligibility Criteria

Doctoral student internship applicants must be currently enrolled and in good standing in a STEM doctoral program at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education. Faculty fellowship applicants must hold a Ph.D. in a field supported by NSF; hold rank at the Assistant Professor level or above; be either tenured or in a tenure-track position in a STEM discipline at an eligible minority-serving institution**; be actively engaged in research in a field that is a direct match with the research focus at a participating STC; and be committed to returning to the institution at which he/she is employed at the time of the application.  For consideration in this program, applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.  Applicants must be committed to full-time participation during the entire duration of the research internship or faculty appointment.

For further information, contact Shirley McBay, STC Internship Project Director, at 202/659-1818 or by e-mail at smmcbay1@qem.org.

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*    African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican
**  Historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribally-controlled
.... colleges/universities offering at least a master’s degree in at least one STEM field

                  
Dr. Narayanan Rajendran, in NBTC lab       Jose Cruz-Campa and his CMDITR advisor, Dr. Alex Jen

Created and Maintained by:
The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network
1818 N Street, NW, Suite 350  •  Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202/659-1818  •  Fax: 202/659-5408
Last Updated:  January 2008
For questions or comments email us at qemnetwork@qem.org