The Fisk-to-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program Emmanuel Rowe, PhD Vanderbilt University and Fisk University Get the preparation you need to earn a PhD 1. Earn a Masters degree in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics at Fisk, with full funding support. 2. Get valuable, paid research experience. 3. Receive preparation for the GRE. 4. Get fast-track admission to the Vanderbilt PhD program, with full funding support. Physics & Astronomy Biology and Biomedical sciences Chemistry Materials science

Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program: requirements and benefits  Full Tuition + 12 month research assistant stipend + health + laptop + textbooks  Fisk/Vanderbilt Course Cross-Registration – Masters degree requirements: Classical Mechanics, Quantum I, E&M I, Stat Mech, Electives – PhD degree requirements: Above, plus E&M II and Quantum II (physics) or Stars, Galaxies, Large-Scale Structure or Radiative Processes (astronomy), Electives  Masters research thesis with Fisk and Vanderbilt faculty  Flexibility and course-correction tutoring provided free -- more on monitoring later  Professionalization – Seminars on hidden aspects of academic research culture, travel to professional meetings, time management, mentoring, Bridge Underground Not a back door...an audition. Must satisfy same requirements as all PhD students.

My work -- filling in gaps in preparation Month-long, all day pre-Bridge Bootcamp on computation and math skills (expanding to second summer) Tutoring pool on-call for one-on-one or group review sessions Grad student ‘computational guru’ Order of magnitude astrophysics Intake exams to help with placement Interview practice + job/fellowship materials help

Recruiting minority talent requires good relationships with Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) MSIs themselves are very diverse in their level of engagement in research among faculty, financial resources, and academic rigor.

An Order of Magnitude Problem 30% of population 4% of PhDs 2.5% of faculty 0.5% at R-1 institutions 17 astronomers Average among PhD granting institutions – 1 PhD every 6 years in physics – 1 PhD every 11 years in astro

What does GRE correlate with? Miller & Stassun (2014, Nature) 23% 44% 8% And yet, over 50% of the PhD-granting institutions use GRE cutoffs that exclude URMs!

Key theory behind the program: recognizing unrealized potential What roles do we need? What qualities predict success? ★ Committed academics ★ Productive, creative, entrepreneurial researchers ★ Effective teachers and mentors ★ Transformational leadership ★ Passion, initiative, “fire in the belly”, hard work = “grit” ★ Success in relevant courses ★ Ability in the laboratory ★ Persistence in the face of hardship (the “P” in PhD) ★ Entrepreneurial spirit Not GRE!

How long will it take for astronomy PhDs to reflect the real US demographics? increase minority astronomy PhDs per year by a factor of ~15 let half be hired as faculty (congrats!) assume a faculty turnover rate of 3% per year By ~2045, we could see parity Stassun et al 2010

Key theory behind the program: recognizing unrealized potential

Key theory behind the program: recognizing unrealized potential

Students face huge internal pressure There will be external pressure and skepticism Unconscious bias — A single poor performance generalizes, but a success is just a fluke. Impostor syndrome when required to represent the Bridge, their family, their town, their race. Perception: wasting time on low performers (they’re actually kick-ass scientists…)

Our success == Our students  Since 2004: – 98 Bridge students – >44 Underrepresented minorities (all US citizens) – 52% female – 55 students so far crossed the bridge to Vanderbilt or other institution of choice 11 more students preparing to cross the bridge 4 students dropped out, all minorities 97% retention rate overall  Since 2006: – Fisk is top producer of Black MA degrees in physics, and top 10 producer of MA degrees in physics to US citizens  2009: First Bridge program PhD (now faculty at UAH)  2012: Inaugural cohort of three more PhDs  now 16 PhDs all in STEM careers.

Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program