The University of Toledo is one of seven Ohio universities participating in a project designed to optimize career outcomes for minority students who choose to pursue doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

With $3.1 million in support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Northern Ohio Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NOA-AGEP) was created to increase the number of underrepresented minority students completing STEM doctoral degrees and prepare them for entry into the professoriate.

The NOA-AGEP project is led by Case Western University with UT, Bowling Green State University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, the University of Akron and Youngstown State University serving as contributing members.

UT will receive $288,164 to support its role in the program.

“Collaborating with the other universities to develop this project over the past four years has laid a solid foundation for the networking and mentoring of the AGEP Scholars selected to participate in this program,” said Dr. Patricia Komuniecki, the initial primary investigator of the grant who retired this year as vice provost for graduate affairs and dean of the College of Graduate of Studies “Each university will contribute to the project in its own unique way, sharing its strengths with the other participating members. UT will host all the NOA-AGEP participants next spring at the annual Midwest Graduate Research Symposium.”

Thirty students across northern Ohio have been selected to participate. Six new doctoral students were selected as AGEP Scholars at UT and enrolled in the cohort with the start of the fall 2016 semester.

The 42-month research project entitled, “Collaborative Research: Northern Ohio AGEP-T: A Racially and Ethnically Inclusive Graduate Education Model in Biology, Chemistry and Engineering” will explore best practices for supporting the cohort through a variety of activities.

“We are studying a model that includes a variety of mentoring, networking, diversity and professional development activities designed to optimize the academic success of our scholars and explore pathways into the professoriate,” said Dr. Susan Pocotte, associate dean for Academic Affairs and current principal investigator of the grant. “Through this program, NOA-AGEP is developing best practices and creating new benchmarks that provide support for underrepresented minority students and can be expanded to the entire graduate community.”

The AGEP scholars have received tuition scholarships and will receive stipends for completing training activities and attending mentoring workshops. Each has been paired with a professor who serves as a mentor in the student’s field of study.

“I think the mentoring relationship is going to be the most valuable part of the program for me,” said Ethel Tackie-Yarboi, second year doctoral student in medicinal chemistry.  “I’m still fine-tuning my educational pathway and now I don’t feel like I have to go it alone. I have a dedicated faculty member to guide me through the process and help me explore my options.”

Students also will participate in professional development training activities throughout the length of the program.

“We will teach them how to build relationships and network in their field,” said Teresa Green, COGS graduate academic services specialist and site coordinator for NOA-AGEP. “They will also receive coaching to hone their writing and publishing skills in preparation for grant writing and research reporting, which are important skills to develop in those considering a career in the professoriate.”

These relationships have already proven invaluable to the program’s participants.

“Chemists spend a lot of time alone in the lab,” said La’Nese Lovings, first year doctoral student in chemistry.  “NOA-AGEP has given me the opportunity to meet other students and introduced me to other disciplines. We share our research, question each other’s methods and debate our work. I’m looking forward to meeting other researchers in the chemistry field when we attend conferences.”

Lovings will present her research, “Synthesis and Characterization of Al_xSc_2-xMo₃O₁₂ Using Non-Hydrolytic Sol-Gel Methods” at the Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence Conference and the National Organization for Professional Development of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

“I am excited to share my work and to learn from others,” she said. “I am hopeful that the connections I make will lead to lifelong mentorship opportunities and give me a multitude of people to and share ideas with as I move forward in my career.”

Tags: College of Medicine and Life Sciences