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Many organizations
offer programs for underrepresented minorities that focus on science,
mathematics, engineering, and healthcare. The Career Cornerstone Center
supports efforts to attract a larger percentage of women and
underrepresented ethnic minorities into the study of science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare.
University Resources
Many universities offer special programs to support underrepresented
minorities. For example the Minority
Engineering Program Office at the University of Michigan is a resource for students, educators, and
employers alike. The office offers a variety of precollege
programs, and also resources for university level students. Check with
your local university to find out what
resources they may offer, including special events, summer programs,
Saturday workshops, and other resources for underrepresented minorities.
Mentoring
Opportunities
Some universities and companies have established mentoring programs to link
students with professionals. An example is the University of Notre Dame's
Minority Engineering Program, which offers E-mentoring support to
students.
Summer Programs
Summer programs are great opportunities for
students to explore different career fields. There are also several
focused specifically for underrepresented minorities, including the
following:
ALVA
is a paid, high technology, 9 to 10 week summer internship experience for
entering University of Washington freshmen students.
Summer
Minority Engineering Training Program at the Colorado School of
Mines
The Summer Medical and
Dental Education Program -- a partnership of the Association of
American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association --
provides six weeks of free educational enrichment to pre-medical and
pre-dental college freshmen and sophomores throughout the summer.
MITES (Minority
Introduction to Engineering and Science) is a rigorous six-week
residential, academic enrichment summer program for promising high school
juniors at MIT who are interested in studying and exploring careers in
science, engineering, and entrepreneurship.
Precollege Programs
Many universities have special programs for
underrepresented minorities at the high school level, including the
following:
IMPRINT
is a program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that pairs
promising high school seniors with a faculty member on campus or with an
employer. The experience is intended to introduce students to engineering and
motivate them to remain in the College of Engineering.
In addition, many professional associations offer precollege
resources, including:
- American Indian
Science and Engineering Society
- National Society of
Black Engineers
- National Action Council for
Minorities in Engineering
- Society
of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Scholarship
Opportunities
Many universities have
scholarship programs specifically for high achieving underrepresented
minorities. Be sure to check with universities you are considering
about whether they have a minority or diversity office, and find out what
services, programs, materials, scholarships, and events they sponsor.
Some professional societies also offer scholarship
programs, such as the American Physical Society's Scholarship for
Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors. Several organizations link to
minority scholarship sites, such as 200
Free Scholarships For Minorities. Other scholarships can be searched on
the College
Board website.
Professional
Association Support
Several special focus professional associations have developed to help
serve the needs of our diverse workforce. Many of these groups also
have student chapters, which can help form valuable networking
opportunities at an early age. For example, NSBE Jr.
membership is available for pre-college students in grades 6 through 12,
and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society has
a K-12 Affiliated Schools
Program.
The following is a sampling of organizations that support
underrepresented minorities; a full list is available on the Cornerstone association page:
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