During The Clear Case for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Life Sciences, an event at SLAS2022, SLAS CEO Vicki Loise announced a new scholarship aimed at increasing the diversity of the STEM workforce, in partnership with the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).
The scholarship
With inaugural funding from Pfizer and Amgen, the scholarship is intended to support US-based high school students of colour, who are often underrepresented in the STEM fields through their post-secondary studies. The scholarship will assist in developing their interest and understanding of science through extensive mentorship, networking and early career opportunities as well as access to diverse academic and industry role models.
Applications
The application process is a multi-step commitment involving the development of a research project, partnering with a mentor to expand on the research project proposal with finalists chosen in August and winners chosen in September.
Winning students will receive $50,000 toward their undergraduate STEM-focused education, as well as ongoing mentoring, complimentary registration, housing and travel to both SLAS and NOBCChE annual conferences as well as the opportunity to present their research.
Official comments
During her speech at SLAS2022, Vicki Loise said: “SLAS knew it needed to do more than make a public statement condemning racism. So, today, I’m joined by Ashley Wallace, from the National Organisation for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), to announce a joint scholarship programme for high school students who are aiming for a career in STEM.
“The scholarship programme aims to do several things: Increase the diversity of the global STEM workforce; build and strengthen pipelines for high school students of colour to enter into STEM fields, especially chemistry and scientific innovation; provide scholarship funding to US high school students of colour to support their college journey, and to provide mentoring and networking opportunities to allow students to have access to a diverse set of professional role models.”
For more information visit slas.org/nobcche.
