Bridge to Ph.D. Program in the Natural Sciences
Program Overview
The Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives is pleased to announce the second year of the Bridge to the Ph.D. Program, designed to build the pipeline for traditionally underrepresented groups in the natural sciences. This program will be offered in cooperation with the School of Continuing Education and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University, and its purpose is to support potential Ph.D. students for whom supplementary coursework, intensive mentorship, and hands-on laboratory experience will strengthen their candidacy.
Bridge students are sponsored by an academic department and provided with full-time, salaried positions as Columbia University Research Assistants for up to two years. The current salary for Research Assistants in the program is $32,300 per annum. The Bridge Program will provide 70% of the funding to hire the student, and the remaining 30% will be covered either by the sponsoring department or the respective laboratory PI. Additionally, the Bridge Program provides students with $1500 annually in discretionary funding to support travel to professional conferences, graduate school application fees, and other relevant professional and educational expenses.
The purpose of the Research Assistant position is to expose the students to laboratory-based science and to help build their competency in academic science research. Students will also be required to take one course per semester that is related to their future field of study.
Through the School of Continuing Education, the students will also have access to GRE test preparation, career advising, writing workshops, and other services to supplement the support provided by the sponsoring department.
Role of the sponsoring department
Accepted students will be provided with full-time employment as Research Assistants. The faculty who oversee the Bridge students are expected to provide laboratory experience that enhances familiarity with science research and mentoring that enhances their chances of professional success. The sponsoring departments or PIs—in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives—will therefore be asked to invest time and resources needed to foster the scientific and professional growth of the Bridge students. This may include guiding the student toward the completion of independent work in the lab, establishing a mentoring ladder that connects the student to undergraduate students, graduate students, or post-docs in their lab, and helping the student identify those courses that will strengthen his or her transcript and/or CV.
PROCESS
Interested students will apply to the program by May 1, 2009, and applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis by the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives. Accepted students will begin work as Research Assistants during the month of July.
Faculty who are interested in sponsoring a Bridge student should contact Brian Van Buren in the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives at (212) 854-9878.
