< Return to the Newsletter Archive

Volume 1, Issue 7

In This Edition

May 17, 2016

Volume 1, Issue 7

NIH DPC Newsletter

Consortium News

Understanding the Effects of Faculty Mentoring

It is not unheard of for successful individuals in biomedicine and indeed all professions to point to an individual or a group of individuals, whose mentoring contributed significantly to their success. This notwithstanding, research on the most impactful aspects of mentoring that leads to success, especially among under-represented minorities (URMs) and other under-represented groups (URGs) remains largely anecdotal. The following update from the Evaluation Core of the CEC explores briefly, the background and hope of the consortium's “collaborative effort to measure, monitor, and track the qualities and effect of mentoring programs”. Read the full article for details.
For more information click here.

Consortium-wide YFCY Launched!

The CEC would like to congratulate BUILD sites for the successful launch of the 2016 Your First College Year Survey (YFCY). Offered by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), the YFCY is the first national survey specifically designed to measure the academic and personal development of students over the first year of college. Read the full posting for details.
For more information click here.

Publications & Presentations Sub-Committee (PPsC)

The Publications & Presentations Sub-Committee (PPsC) has drafted the DPC Publication & Presentation Guidelines which are now being reviewed for approval by the Executive Steering Committee. The PPsC Co-chairs, Drs. Ambika Mathur and Barbara Taylor, will be presenting an overview of the Guidelines at the May 6th DPC Webinar...
For more information click here.

National Report:

The report, Barriers and Opportunities for Two- and Four-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Students' Diverse Pathways (2016), from the Board on Science Education; Policy and Global Affairs Division, National Academies Press was recently released....
For more information click here.

The DPC logo is almost here!

As part of an ongoing effort to increase the visibility and brand of the consortium, the Executive Steering Committee (ESC) met on May 2nd to discuss and vote on the logos that made it through the Comm WG selection process. The ESC agreed to finalize the decision on which logo should be adopted by entire consortium soon. Our sources tell us it's been a tight race between two logos. Stay tuned for more!
For more information click here.

ESC and the 2016 Annual Meeting

The ESC worked on drafting the aims for this year's DPC Annual Meeting. They will continue working together and with their site teams to identify topics of priority for in person discussion and for activities during the Annual Meeting. The CEC is currently restricted to hosting a meeting for a total of 50 attendees and is working to increase the number of attendees. Since the CEC hosts the Annual Meeting on behalf of the ESC, the ESC will determine who should be in attendance. Please continue to hold October 11th and 12th on your calendars for the Annual Meeting. Given that the aims of the Annual Meeting will be very focused and there are attendance constrains the event will be by invitation only. We expect to send out the invitations for registration in 2 to 3 weeks.
For more information click here.

Missed a Working Group meeting? Not to worry, we gotcha!

Effective May 2016, Working Group meetings will be recorded and made available to the Intranet users under the Webinars tab. Meeting recordings should be available a week after the meeting.
For more information click here.

Are the numerous DPC acronyms hurting your brain?

Are the numerous DPC acronyms getting in your way? Not anymore... CEC launched it's Glossary 1.0 version this month! As promised, the CEC has compiled a list of acronyms commonly used during meetings and referenced in documents. These commonly used acronyms are now available through the Intranet's new "Glossary" tab. Read the full article for further details.
For more information click here.

Communications Working Group (Comm WG)

The Comm WG has been up to lots of fun and exciting work! This month the Comm WG selected the logos they will propose to the Executive Steering Committee to become THE Consortium’s logo. Special thanks to the CEC designers who created the beautiful set of logos that integrated every site’s input. This month we also kicked off the site level communication strategy presentations.
For more information click here.

Executive Steering Committee (ESC)

What better way to start the Spring season than by approving a Data Sharing Policy? The DPC’s Data Sharing Policy (DSP; previously referred to as “Data Sharing Agreement”) was approved March 16th thanks to the arduous work and amazing leadership from each site and NIH. THANK YOU, ALL!
For more information click here.
People in Biomedicine

Anita Quintana, PhD

Anita Quintana, PhD, is a functional geneticist at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Having graduated in 2010 with her doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Quintana is currently assistant professor in UTEP's Department of Biological Sciences.
For more information click here.
In The News

U.S Secretary of Education calls for lifting the "invisible tax" on teachers of color.

In this powerful piece in the Washington Post, Education Secretary John King calls on schools and district officials to recognize this burden on teachers of color and encourages them to adopt proactive policies in their hiring and professional development practices that ensures that this burden does not fall only on those paying it. Read the full article in the Washington Post.
For more information click here.

Maryland’s Largest Historically Black College Named a National Treasure

Morgan State News reports "in the latest significant effort towards preserving the rich cultural legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the National Trust for Historic Preservation today named Morgan State University a National Treasure. The National Trust and Morgan State University have partnered to develop a preservation plan that stewards the many historic buildings on campus, while planning wisely for the university’s future."
For more information click here.

Journalism professor creates diversity style guide

SF State News reports “as media outlets worldwide grapple with events and news stories about race, class, the LGBT community and other issues of diversity and inclusion, resources for writers about words and phrases related to demographic groups can be difficult to find. Rachele Kanigel, an associate professor of journalism at San Francisco State University and a former journalist, is hoping to change that. She has just published a new Diversity Style Guide, available publicly online. A print version, with chapters on covering different communities and issues, is also in production and will be published by Wiley in 2017 or 2018.”
For more information click here.

Changing the Narrative of Black Men in College

AFRO reports “what does it mean to support your community? As individuals, it’s everything from clearing the snow off your sidewalk to volunteering at your child’s school. For the University of Baltimore, it not only means that our students, faculty and staff are out in neighborhoods across the city, doing all kinds of work – it means that we recognize Baltimore for what it truly is: a gathering of people, a past, present and future, a true community of individuals who are worthy of our time and our best efforts as educators, mentors and leaders.”
For more information click here.

UC Davis Partners to Increase Hispanic Faculty in the Humanities

UC Davis reports “the University of California, Davis, is one of five research universities and three Hispanic Serving Institutions participating in a new program to increase the number of Latino professors in the humanities at U.S. colleges and universities…Participating HSIs are Florida International University; the University of Texas El Paso; and California State University, Northridge. In addition to UC Davis and Penn, the research institutions are UC Berkeley, New York University and Northwestern University.”
For more information click here.

Terry Piper Lecturer Encouraged CSUN to “Deconstruct” the Institution to Make “Race Talk” a Routine Practice

CSUN Today reports “Estela Mara Bensimon, a national expert on methods to improve equity in higher education, encouraged campus leaders at California State University, Northridge to “deconstruct” the institutional structures that prevent college campuses from making “race talk” a routine practice.”
For more information click here.

Cal State Long Beach receives a $3.045 million grant to continue stem cell research internship

Daily 49er reports “CSULB announced that it had received a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine on April 6. The grant will cover a $30,000 stipend for each student as well as up to $7,000 for tuition and $2,500 to participate in a stem cell training course… Lisa Klig, director of the biotechnology program [stated] ‘we’re bringing the diversity of the population of California into the science, which brings new eyes [and] new angles.’”
For more information click here.

Vernier's Summer Institutes Provide Science and STEM Educators with Hands-On Experience Using Data-Collection Technology

PR Newswire reports “this summer Vernier Software & Technology will host full-day, hands-on training institutes to help science and STEM teachers integrate probeware and data-collection technology into their science curriculum. Led by knowledgeable training specialists, the workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to use Vernier's award-winning technology to explore classroom-ready labs and activities.”
For more information click here.

Cultural Competency Symposium examines diversity and inclusivity

Portland State's student-run newspaper reports "on Tuesday, May 10, the Diversity Action Council in partnership with the Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion [hosted] the second annual Cultural Competency Symposium. It’s the culmination of a year-long training series that explored race, religion, sexuality, gender, disability and socioeconomic stratification."
For more information click here.

CSUN Prof Named First Latina Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists

CSUN Today reports “California State University, Northridge biology professor MariaElena Zavala has been named the first Latina Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB).”
For more information click here.

Racial Awakening, Pride And Fear: One Latino Perspective On 'The Obama Effect'

This NPR "story is part of an occasional Code Switch series we're calling "The Obama Effect." The series explores how conversations about race and identity have evolved over the course of the Obama presidency. You can read more about the series here."
For more information click here.

The Real Reason Women Are Leaving STEM Jobs

FastCompany reports “a new report finds that women believe their companies' practices are unfair, and that they don't value their contributions.”
For more information click here.

How grad students get paid affects where they work

Science Magazine reports “it’s only one study. But a novel analysis finding a link between how U.S. graduate students in the biomedical sciences are funded and their first job after earning their Ph.D. turns one piece of conventional wisdom on its head: Students supported on a research grant are more likely to take a research job than those funded by other mechanisms.”
For more information click here.

Time Magazine: UTEP President Among World's 100 Most Influential People

Dr. Diana Natalicio, president of The University of Texas at El Paso, has been named to the 2016 TIME 100—the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. 
For more information click here.
Research Digest

Research Learning Communities (RLCs) within PSU's BUILD EXITO project

The BUILD EXITO project establishes Research Learning Communities (RLCs) to support the development of EXITO Scholars through mentorship and practical experience on faculty research projects.
For more information click here.

NRMN Partners in Action Meeting at FASEB

Representatives from 14 different scientific and professional societies met with NRMN representatives to discuss updates since the last partners meeting in October 2015, to review new initiatives emerging from NRMN, and to engage in generative discussions about the creation of new initiatives to maximize engagement among partner society members in support of an inclusive nationwide community culture of researchers through the National Research Mentoring Network.
For more information click here.

Mentoring DOES Matter at BUILDing SCHOLARS

Dr. Danielle Morales, BUILD research training coordinator, and Jaime Morales, BUILD peer mentor, discuss the BUILDing SCHOLARS Peer Mentoring Program as part of the Mentoring Matters web series produced by Creative Studios at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
For more information click here.

UMass Boston Holds SACNAS New England Regional Conference with Support from NRMN

The Society for Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) gathered at UMass Boston on Saturday April 9th to hold its third New England Regional SACNAS Conference.
For more information click here.

Learn Mentoring Through Movement

NRMN partnered with the local SACNAS Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) to pilot a new workshop, Learn Mentoring Through Movement
For more information click here.

NRMN Launches Revised NRMNet.net Website!

NRMN is thrilled to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website! 
For more information click here.

ReBUILDetroit Scholars showcase research at poster presentation

Freshmen ReBUILDetroit scholars at Marygrove College presented their DNA Barcoding research of Caddisflies at a poster presentation April 28.
For more information click here.

Meet the 2015-16 NRMN STAR Cohort

The NRMN Steps Towards Academic Research (NRMN STAR) Fellowship Program is one of four professional development program models offered by NRMN through its Professional Development Core.
For more information click here.
Events

Save the Date! June 6 event on Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees

Event Date: Mon, Jun 06, 2016

Location: NAS Building, Lecture Room 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC

Diversity Consortium's Webinar Series

Event Date: Fri, Jun 24, 2016

About Us

The NIH Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) Newsletter provides updates on activities at DPC sites, shares progress on collaborative efforts within the consortium, and highlights news and recent publications related to diversity and mentoring in the biomedical sciences.




The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
Need Assistance? Please contact our support team: info@diversityprogramconsortium.org .