Mentoring Underrepresented Minority Women Dr. Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, associate professor in the program of Instructional Design and Technology, was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with the University of the District of Columbia for her two-year project “NSF HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research Project: Virtual STEM Peer Mentorship Program.” A collaborative effort with two historically Black institutions, the University of the District of
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Columbia and Bethune-Cookman University, the project extends a currently funded NSF pilot project and expands the development, implementation and evaluation of a virtual STEM peer mentorship program for underrepresented minority women (UMW) undergraduate students. “This project focuses on the development and efficacy evaluation of a Virtual STEM Peer Mentorship Program to assist UMW students in developing STEM knowledge, skills, and beliefs; and, ultimately to promote their STEM degree and career persistence. The overarching goal is to broaden the participation of UMW in STEM fields,” Rockinson-Szapkiw said.