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NASA SMD Bridge Program Workshop: Sign Up to Express Interest and be Added to Mailing List

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will be holding a community workshop in October with the goal of co-creating the NASA SMD Bridge Program. The NASA SMD Bridge Program is a new initiative to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within the NASA workforce and within the U.S. science and engineering communities. The program aims to increase engagement and partnering between NASA centers and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and other PhD-granting Universities, with a focus on paid research and engineering student positions at participating institutions to transition science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate schools and employment by NASA. 

The NASA SMD Bridge Program Workshop will be fully virtual and is scheduled to take place from October 17-22, 2022. Any and all members of the STEM or STEM education communities are welcome to attend and participate. Please submit an indication of interest (through July 25, 2022) to attend the workshop here. See the workshop website and FAQ for more information, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Padi Boyd [patricia.t.boyd_at_nasa.gov] with any additional questions. Please also feel free to distribute this announcement to members of your communities.
 

Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee Nomination Period is Now Closed

The deadline for nominations for members of the NASA SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee has now passed. We are truly amazed, inspired and humbled by the response. We received over 80 complete applications, from community members engaged in a broad array of science and engineering, at every career stage and from a wide array of institutions across the country, including HBCUs, Community Colleges, other MSIs, NASA Centers and industry. A sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an application for this committee. Over the next weeks we will carefully select the BPWOC, and compile a mailing list of everyone who submitted a nomination, to be sure we can stay in touch with applicants and hear your ideas, suggestions and goals as we build the SMD Bridge Program. More information on the Bridge Program Workshop will be coming soon.
 

Questions and Answers for SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee

The SMD Bridge Program is a new initiative designed to boost diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within the NASA workforce and within the US science and engineering community.

• The SMD Bridge Program will increase engagement and partnering between Minority-Serving Institutions, other PhD-granting universities, and NASA Centers with a focus on paid research and engineering studentships at participating institutions to transition science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate schools and employment by NASA.
• SMD will be facilitating one or more community planning workshops to collaboratively create the Bridge Program with all stakeholders.
• Nominations are now being accepted for members of the SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee.

NASA SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee Call for Nominees

Status Report From: NASA Science Mission Directorate
Posted: Monday, May 2, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is committed to a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility where all feel welcome, valued, respected, and engaged. The SMD Bridge Program is a new initiative to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within the NASA workforce and within the U.S. science and engineering community. It aims to increase engagement and partnering between Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Community Colleges and Primarily Undergraduate-Serving Institutions (PUIs), with other PhD-granting Universities and NASA Centers. It will include paid research and engineering studentships with the goal of enabling and supporting the transition of science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate programs and employment by NASA.​ SMD will be facilitating one or more community planning workshops to collaboratively create the Bridge Program with all stakeholders over the next several months.

In this letter, SMD is soliciting applications from interested individuals in the community for participation as members of the SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee. Non-civil servant committee members will be compensated for their time through an honorarium. The Committee will help set workshop agenda(s), reach out to invited and contributed speakers, and provide guidance on the effective recruitment and engagement from potential stakeholders at all career levels, from student to institutional administrators.

The application material should consist of:

• A two-page cover letter including (1) the reasons for the applicant’s interest in the SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee, and (2) the skills, perspective and experience that the applicant brings to the Committee;
• A short statement of commitment to perform the tasks assigned to the Committee within the allocated timeframe; and
• A one- or two-page resume including relevant experience and/or interest in building long-lasting partnerships between students, mentors, MSIs/HBCUs/TCUs/PUIs and NASA Centers, or involvement in other programs whose goal is increasing diversity within the U.S. science and engineering communities relevant to the NASA workforce.
   

Applications are solicited from individuals at U.S.-based research and academic institutions, including HBCUs, MSIs, PUIs, and community colleges, Government laboratories, and industry, from participants or leaders from Minority Serving Organizations (e.g., SACNAS, NSBP) and from private individuals. Applicants in any NASA SMD science or mission area, STEM higher education, anthropology or sociology or any relevant discipline will be considered. Applicants at any career stage with expertise and drive to build long-lasting partnerships between students, mentors, HBCUs/MSIs and NASA Centers to increase diversity within the U.S. science and engineering communities, including the NASA workforce, are encouraged to apply. Applicants with backgrounds, training and/or certification in creating inclusive STEM work and learning environments are particularly encouraged.

SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee members will be selected so that the committee has members at all career levels, with expertise in science areas relevant to all SMD Divisions, experience leading or participating in Bridge Programs or similar programs with consistent goals and building supportive student/mentor cohorts within and outside of academia.

SMD will accept additional suggestions for membership from the community at large, including NASA Centers. The SMD Bridge Program Director will appoint the members after consulting with other members of the Science Mission Directorate, as appropriate. The Committee Chair will be appointed from the Committee membership.

Applications for SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing membership are due no later than 11:59 PM EDT June 1, 2022. Only email applications of a single PDF file will be accepted. Please submit your application via email to padi.boyd@nasa.gov.

SMD reserves the right to cancel the “Dear Colleague Letter” at any time should programmatic and/or other reasons warrant it.

Questions about SMD Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee may be addressed to Dr. Padi Boyd, SMD Bridge Program Director, at padi.boyd@nasa.gov.

Contact information:

Dr. Padi Boyd
padi.boyd@nasa.gov
301-204-6503

Questions about the SMD Bridge Program should be directed to Padi Boyd (padi.boyd@nasa.gov) and please cc SARA@nasa.gov.