OSU will join one of six other universities to participate in the American Chemical Society Bridge Program. The American Chemical Society Bridge Program (ACS-BP) is an effort to increase the number of chemical science PhDs awarded to underrepresented minority (URM) students. As part of a national effort, the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN), ACS-BP is doing this by creating sustainable transition (bridge) programs and a national network of doctoral granting institutions that provide substantial mentoring for students to successfully complete PhD programs. The ACS-BP is modelled after the successful American Physical Society (APS) Bridge Program.

ACS previously announced the awards confidentially, so we’ve admitted our first official class of four students for this fall.  One student came from our own applications, and the other three were from the ACS Bridge Portal.  The four students (all women) are from around the country, earning their bachelor’s degrees at UConn, Goucher College, Hampton University, and UIUC.  It’s a group of talented, resilient, and enthusiastic students, and we’re excited to welcome them.  Our department has been participating in a collaborative group through NOBCChE with three HBCUs including Hampton, so that is a nice connection.

The College press release:  https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/news/chemistry-earns-bridge-site-status-american-chemical-society

There is now a web page that describes the program in detail: https://chemistry.osu.edu/graduate/chemistry-bridge-program

Also see: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/graduate/bridge-project/about-bridge-program.html