The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science are cosponsoring the first annual Columbia Colloquium for Minority Students Preparing for Graduate School in the Sciences and Engineering. The colloquium, a one-day, informational event covering the graduate school admissions process, financial aid, research and career opportunities available in will take place Saturday, April 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Davis Auditorium, Shapiro Center.

"We believe that there are students out there from traditionally underrepresented groups who are really interested in science and engineering. They have a talent for it; they may even have a growing passion for the discipline and discernment inherent in these fields, but they lack information about the opportunities available and/or the confidence to seek out these opportunities," said Gillian Lindt, Interim Dean of GSAS. "That is why we have instituted the colloquium, to make this kind of information available."

Gilda Barabino, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University, will speak on how minorities can achieve success in graduate school in science and engineering. The program will also feature workshops offering valuable information for graduate students contemplating doctoral study as well as undergraduates just beginning to think about graduate study. Interested students may register online at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/colloquium.html or obtain registration materials for the colloquium by calling 212- 854-3791 or 6438 or emailing gsasoma@columbia.edu or seasquestion@columbia.edu.

"Our message may be a cliché, but it is none the less true," added Dean Lindt. "We are looking for students who can stay the course and will allow themselves to dream about being all that they can be. We are looking for students with the confidence to invest in themselves, and who are willing to persuade institutions to invest in them."