The STEM Diversity Programs Office commits to supporting students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds to achieve their educational and career goals. We achieve this through fostering a sense of inclusion, acceptance, community and providing students with hands-on research experience. In a time of political uncertainty under the current administration, the future of communities like our AB540 and DACA students are at stake. As an institution of higher education, we will continue to promote diversity in STEM and serve all students. Our office is committed to diversifying the sciences by providing direct services that support students bolster their science identity through professional development, academic support through tutoring and research training.
Federal government initiatives by NIH and NSF fund and promote diversity in STEM and have a long history on this campus with over 35 years of service. Our MARC and IMSD programs alone have reached our 125th Ph.D. in the STEM fields as of December 2016. Programs like MARC and IMSD create a sense of belonging to a community of peers striving to achieve the same goal and is a transformational experience for our students. Students who participate with our STEM Diversity programs develop the tools necessary to be successful and become competitive candidates for graduate programs.
Your donation to our project will help nurture the formation of a promising scientist, extend an opportunity to those who it has been denied to. It will allow us to create a research internship, offer professional development and build a strong community of support for our AB540 and DACA students. It costs $10.50/hr to support a student researcher. Our full time 8-week summer program will allow student to be at the forefront of science and discovery. The impact of your donation goes beyond supporting our students; it also sends a statement of solidarity- that the strength of our communities lies in the richness of diversity and inclusion both strong values that are fostered by our UCSC campus.
Our matching gift of $1,065 has been met! Let's continue the support and keep those donations coming!
Student Testimony from our AB540/DACA interns:
“Having a research training experience was a critical advancement to my goals of pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry. As a student with limited financial resources, immersing myself in research was obtained early in my undergraduate education because of the STEM Diversity community. This community went beyond the summer because there were research symposiums happening throughout the school years. Presenting my research meant a growth of confidence, network, and of course, opportunity. I am truly grateful for those in the STEM community at UCSC that always looked past limitations and labels, and just simply allowed us to do science!”
“When I learned about STEM Diversity Programs my focus and emphasis changed completely. I saw a whole new perspective of the world ahead of me and now I see myself as someone that leads by example the younger generations in my community. I see myself pursuing higher education than just a B.S. Degree, something that I would have never thought of a while back.”
“STEM Diversity was able to get me into an internship which after college allowed me to have the skills to acquire a career in Research and Development. Research is a critical component of learning. Management positions require industry analysis, product analysis and solid research to justify higher level management decisions.”
If you would like to know more about what our students and what they do, check out our video, A Day in the Life of STEM Students.
