Abstract In the face of a challenging climate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) higher education that is resistant to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts aimed to increase and retain students from historically excluded groups (HEGs), there is a critical need for a support structure to ensure students from HEGs continue to be recruited retained. The Biology Undergraduate and Master's Mentorship Program (BUMMP) embodies this commitment to fostering scientific identity, efficacy, and a sense of belonging for first‐generation and historically underserved undergraduate and master's students at UC San Diego. The mission of BUMMP is to cultivate a sense of belonging, instill confidence, and nurture a strong scientific identity amongst all its participants. At its core, the three pillars of BUMMP are (1) mentorship, (2) professional development, and (3) research. Quality mentorship is provided where students receive personal guidance from faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and industry leaders in navigating their career pathways. Complementing mentorship, BUMMP provides paid research opportunities and prioritizes professional development by offering workshops designed to enhance students' professional skills. These three pillars form the backbone of BUMMP, empowering students from all backgrounds and ensuring their retention and persistence in STEM. So far, we've served over 1350 mentees, collaborated with 809 mentors, and had over 180 mentees actively engaged in BUMMP‐sponsored research activities. The primary focus of this paper is to provide a programmatic guideline for the three pillars of BUMMP: mentorship, professional development, and research. This will offer a blueprint for other institutions to establish similar mentorship programs. Additionally, the paper highlights the impact of the BUMMP program and surveyed mentees who have participated in the mentorship and research component of BUMMP. We showed that mentorship and research experience enhance students' sense of belonging, science identity, and science efficacy, which are key predictors of retention and persistence in pursuing a STEM career. Overall, BUMMP's expansive efforts have made a tremendous impact at UC San Diego and will continue to foster a community of future leaders who will be prepared to make meaningful contributions to the scientific community and beyond.
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Michael L. Shuler Tribute
Mike Shuler's career has touched the professional and personal lives of countless individuals. From the undergraduates who learned the fundamentals of bioprocess engineering and nanobiotechnology, to the graduate students who helped push knowledge boundaries across length scales, to the young faculty who learned the meaning of academia, Mike Shuler's patient and thoughtful mentorship built careers and inspired greatness. We are proud and humbled to collect the following personal reflections from a cross section of his Cornell colleagues and friends. So many individuals have been influenced by Mike Shuler's distinguished mentorship, and we hope that these personal and professional reflections adequately reflect our collective feelings toward him. A full categorization of Mike's Midas touch could fill volumes. We have tried, through the following pages, to capture and personify a career that is beyond measure, and that has contributed so much to his academic community and to society.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1838611
- PAR ID:
- 10092174
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering
- Volume:
- 115
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 0006-3592
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1642 to 1645
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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