SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island’s College of Engineering can continue its work recruiting minority students, thanks to the renewal of a federal grant.
The National Science Foundation awarded the school $320,000 for a program aimed at improving the recruitment numbers and graduate rates of underrepresented students in STEM fields. The program — the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation — allows students to attend national conferences and participate in internships and graduate seminars.
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“It allows our students to come together and provides resources and mechanisms for mutual support, giving them a chance to be highly successful,’’ said Charles Watson, assistant director for diversity in URI’s College of Engineering, of the program, in a press release. “It allows our students to come together and provides resources and mechanisms for mutual support.”
The program began in 2002 with 167 participants; by 2015 it had 568 students who received financial assistance and mentoring. Among the groups underrepresented in the STEM fields: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska natives, native Hawaiians and native Pacific Islanders, according to URI.
URI was one of six colleges in New England to receive the grant, along with the University of Connecticut; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Northeastern University; Worcester Polytechnic Institute; and Tufts University.
