CELEBRATION
THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023
SAMUEL RIGGS IV ALUMNI CENTER
Letter from the Dean
Dear Friends,
Thank you for joining us on this special evening. I am excited to celebrate with you, and to reflect on the 25 years of inclusive excellence that the Summer Research Initiative (SRI) has made possible on our campus. As a first-generation Latina college student—and the daughter of parents who emigrated from Puerto Rico before I was born—I know firsthand the lifelong impact that summer research opportunities can have on students’ career paths, and on their worldviews. Pulling a tab on a flyer for a summer research opportunity for first-generation students turned out to be my first step toward a long career in research and in academia. I could hardly believe then that it was possible to be paid to ask questions, to seek new knowledge, to gather and apply data, and to shed new light on the world around us. I can hardly believe it now.
When people ask me about the purpose of the SRI, the short answer is that it is part of our college’s longstanding commitment to increasing the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue graduate degrees in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. As for the longer answer: I will let this year’s cohort of scholars and mentors speak for themselves. I know that when you see their posters, hear about their research projects, ask them questions, and learn more about their experiences inside and outside the classrooms and labs this summer, you’ll be impressed by their talent and inspired by their commitment to understanding and improving our world.
Thank you for supporting the SRI by being here today. I also want to express my deep gratitude to SRI Director Kim Nickerson, SRI Coordinator Brittney Robinson, and the many campus leaders in the Office of the Provost, the Division of Research, the Graduate School and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion who make the SRI possible. Many thanks as well to the faculty members who have served as SRI mentors.
I vow to continue in the tradition of my predecessors—former Deans Irv Goldstein, Ed Montgomery, John Townshend, and Gregory Ball—in supporting and fostering the growth of the SRI for years to come.
Sincerely,
Letter from the Director
Dear Friends,
When I talk about the BSOS Summer Research Initiative, I point out that all good houses are built on solid foundations. So, I begin by thanking Dr. Bob Steele for the initial years he put into establishing and directing the program, and for attracting foundational support from BSOS, as well as from important campus partners like the Office of the Provost, the Graduate School, and the Division of Research. Without consistent, unflinching support, the house that is the SRI would have collapsed long ago. Also, because they are the sine qua non of the SRI, we must thank the close-to-150 different faculty mentors who provided SRI scholars with research opportunities and guided them, as well as the countless others who supported the program in various other ways.
The SRI indeed helps individual students reach incredible individual academic and career goals. But let us also celebrate the full value of the SRI. Researchers point to the benefits of bringing diverse individuals, with their diverse life experiences and perspectives, to the task of solving complex problems for others. If we are going to BE the Solution to the world’s great challenges, we must bring diverse people from the world to bear on the world’s great challenges. We are very proud to showcase the fact that SRI alumni are addressing great challenges through their teaching, service, research and science careers, and through a variety of other admirable vocations. They are professors, teachers, clinicians, business owners, consultants, policy professionals, community advocates and more. They are working in public and private sectors, as well as in small communities and at state, national, and global levels.
Think about this—a university is one of the most exciting places to be. It is an exciting time machine of sorts. A university is a place where the past meets head on with the future. Everything that is taught, read, or researched at a university represents the past—what was known. Yet, we use that past knowledge, or understanding, to push the boundaries into the future. Preparing SRI scholars to forge into the future, equipped with the skills and knowledge we impart to them, is a key output from this time machine, and this output will make a better future for the world.
I hope you will remember the variety of fields and contexts in which our alumni are impacting our society. The BSOS SRI indeed aligns with core values of our university, state, and national higher education in general. For the good of our world, let us work together to ensure the SRI for future students. I hope you will seriously consider contributing to our effort by donating to the Dr. Robert E. Steele and Jean E. Steele Summer Research Initiative Endowed Program Support Fund.
In closing, to the SRI scholars and alumni, we are proud of you and we wish you nothing but the best in whatever way you choose to leave your mark on the world. Go out and Be the Solution!
With pride and appreciation,
Kim J. Nickerson, Ph.D. Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Director, BSOS Summer Research Initiative
Founding SRI Director Bob Steele
Dr. Robert “Bob” Steele was the founding director of the BSOS Summer Research Initiative in 1999 when he served as an associate dean in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Since its inception, the SRI has successfully encouraged undergraduates from underrepresented groups to engage in research and has propelled them into graduate school and other careers rooted in behavioral and social science research, service, and policy.
Bob spent most of his career at Maryland as a tenured associate professor in our Department of Psychology, where he mentored many students on to successful careers through their doctoral training program in clinical/ community psychology. He eventually served as an associate dean in BSOS, director of the Office for Diversity Initiatives in the Graduate School, and most notably, the founding and executive director of the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora.
Dr. Steele’s accomplishments, service, and philanthropy have garnered many awards. He is a proud graduate of Morehouse College, which has honored him for his career accomplishments with both the Morehouse Bennie Service Award and the Morehouse Presidential Award of Distinction. Dr. Steele earned his graduate degrees from Yale University (Ph.D., M.P.H., and M.S.), and the Yale Alumni Association has honored him with their YAA President’s Medal.
Dr. Steele and his wife, Jean, turned their philanthropy to BSOS and the SRI in 2021 by supporting two SRI scholars placed in our Department of Psychology. The Steeles continued their generosity by establishing the Dr. Robert E. Steele and Jean E. Steele Summer Research Initiative Endowed Program Support Fund in 2022. This fund was established to help ensure the sustainability of the SRI for years to come. We thank the Steeles for their commitment to training new talent to invigorate social and behavioral science fields and to help us fulfill our credo to Be the Solution to the world’s great challenges.
2015 SRI Poster Session
Notable Summer Research Initiative Facts Program Timeline
1999
First cohort of 10 students; 6-week program
2007
BSOS SRI expanded to 8 weeks and adopted the whole-college-commitment model
2008
Provided training to the 100th student
2016
Provided training to the 200th student
2020 & 2021
Provided SRI in a virtual format because of COVID
2022
Added the 1856 Project track
2023
Added the Social Justice Alliance track
Provided training to the 25th cohort
2024
Anticipate adding a NACS track
296 SRI participants since 1999
27% Hispanic/ Latino 60% Non-First-Generation Students
59% African American/ Black
SRI Participant Demographics
40% First-Generation Students
SRI Participants by First-Generation Status
6%
4% White/ Caucasion 2% AI/AN/PI 2% Multi Racial/ Unlisted
Asian
41% of SRI Scholars are from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI)
147 faculty members have served as SRI mentors
BSOS
Number of Scholars by Department: PSYC - 78 CCJS - 36 AFAM - 19 GVPT - 39 HESP - 31 ANTH - 17 SOCY - 39 GEOG - 20 ECON - 14
from all 10
departments and beyond
67% of SRI Scholars go on to earn masters or doctoral degrees
94 BSOS SRI
Doctoral Degrees
Ph.D.s – 75 (80%)
J.D.s – 13 (14%)
Other - 6 (6%)
Doctoral Degree Program Examples:
Georgetown Law
Indiana
University Law
NYU Law
GW Law
UVA Law
UNC Law
University of Maryland
Georgia State
Howard University
Brown University
University of Michigan
University of Florida
University of Wisconsin
University of Minnesota
UCLA
Harvard Columbia University
SUNY Albany Hopkins
Vanderbilt
Yale
Berkeley
Support for this program is gratefully acknowledged by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Office of the Provost, the Graduate School, and the Division of Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.
For more information on the program outcomes, visit bsos.umd.edu/diversity/summer-research-initiative.
To help sustain the SRI for future scholars, please consider donating to the Dr. Robert E. Steele and Jean E. Steele Summer Research Initiative Endowed Program Support Fund in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Learn more at go.umd.edu/sristeelefund.