Mabel Jones Matthews, NASA Office of Education Acting Director of Higher Education Triangle Coalitio

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Mabel Jones Matthews, NASA Office of
EducationActing Director of Higher
EducationTriangle Coalitions Annual Conference
on STEM Education PolicyAlexandria, VA April
10, 2007
Increasing Minority Participation in STEM
PathwaysNASA Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral
Fellowship Project (JPFP)
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JPFP Addresses NASAs Education Goals Employ and
Educate
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Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoralFellowship
Project (JPFP)

• Former Assistant Administrator in Office of Equal
  Opportunity Programs at NASA
• Committed to increasing the talent pool of
  underrepresented groups in the NASA workforce
• Program implemented in 2000
• First cohort started in 2001

Dr. Harriett G. Jenkins
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Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoralFellowship
Project (JPFP)

• Competitive fellowships that successfully
  navigate students who are underrepresented in
  STEM disciplines through graduate school to
  enable their entry into the STEM workforce.
• 20 fellowships awarded annually that provide
  support for a period up to 3 yearsMaximum
  Awards 30,000 (Ph.D) and 22,000 (M.S.).
• JPFP Eligibility
• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Underrepresented persons in STEM
• Grad Student within first 3 years of program
• Minimum 3.0 G.P.A.

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The JPFP embodies Inclusiveness
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JPFP STEM Disciplines
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JPFP Graduate Institutions
data based on 2006 ED list

• Minority institutions (MIs) account for 23 of
  the JPFP graduate institutions 18 of the JPFP
  Fellows matriculate at MIs
• 40 of the JPFP graduates received their
  doctorate degree from one of the top 50 U.S.
  doctoral institutions for science and engineering
  (Source U.S. Doctorates in the 20th Century and
  the Survey of Earned Doctorates, 1995-1999, NSF)

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Four Success Elements (1) Competitive Mini
Research Award

• provides fellows with the opportunity to engage
  in hands-on NASA research experience

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(2) New Fellow Orientation

• introduces fellows to NASA and provides detailed
  programmatic information

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(3) Technical Exchange Symposium

• fellows present their research, visit NASA
  centers and receive professional development
  training

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(4) Mentor-Protégé Initiatives

• 3 levels of mentoring available for fellows
• Fellows with NASA researchers and scientists
• Fellows with one another (peer-to-peer)
• Fellows with K-16 students

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JPFP Outcomes

• 121 scholars funded since 2001
• Established linkages with other NASA Office of
  Education Programs
• 60 of M.S. recipients continued their education
  in an accredited STEM Ph.D. program.
• All JPFP graduates are gainfully employed in STEM
  aerospace industries, universities, or NASA
• 20 of JPFP alumni are employed with NASA

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JPFP Degrees

• 26 Ph.D. and 33 M.S. recipients to date
• By the year 2010, the JPFP will contribute 50
  Ph.D. to the NASA pipeline and STEM workforce.

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Faces to Know in Academia
NASAs professional and academic leadership
exemplified by JPFP Scholars
Kera Bell, Ph.D., Asst. Prof. at Winston Salem
State University Nathan Brooks, Ph.D., Research
Faculty Assistant in Switzerland Jorge Camacho,
Ph.D., Research Associate at Univ. of Texas El
Paso Marcel Agueros, Ph.D., Research Associate at
Columbia Univ. Jessica Marquez, Ph.D., Research
Associate at M.I.T. Susan Song, M.S., Research
Fellow at Univ. of Colorado Hiram Firpi, Ph.D.,
Research Associate at GA Tech Hassan Moore,
Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Johnson C. Smith
Univ.
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Faces to Know in Industry
NASAs professional and academic leadership
exemplified by JPFP Alumni Scholars
Tatangla Coleman, Ph.D. Research Engineer,
Raytheon Tyeshia Pompey, Ph.D. Technology
Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin Joey Gale,
M.S., Security Network Analysis, Lockheed Martin
Jennifer S. McIntosh, Ph.D., Engineer, Northrup
Grunman Jabberia Miller, Ph.D., Engineer,
Northrup Grunman Tiffany Finch, M.S., Engineer,
Pratt Whitney Olufemi Olumoko, M.S., Computer
Engineer, Verizon Alicia Washington, Ph.D.,
Research Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation
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Faces to Know at NASA
NASAs professional and academic leadership
exemplified by JPFP Alumni Scholars
Lakesha Bates, M.S., Researcher, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center Felicia Conley, Ph.D,
Researcher, NASA Johnson Space Center Brian
Harris, M.S., Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center Ravi Prakash, M.S., Aerospace Engineer,
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Elizabeth Deems,
M.S., Aerospace Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory Shavesha L. Rutledge, Ph.D.,
Researcher, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoralFellowship
Project (JPFP)

• Project Administrator
• UNCF Special Programs Corporation
• Contact
• Melissa C. Green, Ph.D.
• STEM Division Director
• 2750 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 600
• Fairfax, VA 22031
• [phone]
• Melissa.Green_at_uncfsp.org
• www.education.nasa.gov
• www.uncfsp.org