CU Boulder’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate program, funded by the National Science Foundation, welcomed its first cohort of 12 students to campus this fall. The program's goal is to increase the quantity and quality of STEM graduate students from underrepresented populations, with emphasis on PhD matriculation and completion.
The fellows are pursuing doctorates in the College of Engineering and Applied Science across multiple departments and programs: aerospace, environmental engineering, biological engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and biomedical engineering. There are also students in the program pursuing degrees in physics through the College of Arts and Sciences.
The program includes a fellowship stipend of at least $32,000 per year, plus tuition and fees; mentoring; professional development; and social programs. This fall, the program is holding four networking dinners focusing on advocacy, leadership and resiliency and three graduate student success workshops with CU Boulder Director of Graduate Community and Professional Development Leslie Blood.
The program also provides five faculty and five peer mentors who meet with fellows, guiding students through the graduate school process and supporting them in their holistic success.
If you identify as a BIPOC underrepresented first-year PhD student in engineering or physics and you would like to engage with the program's networking dinners, please contact Terri Wright for more information and a calendar of events.
Learn More about the LSAMP BD fellows
Rudolph Rodriguez
Rudolph Rodriguez is a PhD student in the Department of Physics researching high energy theoretical physics.
Céu Gómez-Faulk
Céu Gómez-Faulk is a PhD student in the Ann and H. J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences researching autonomous systems with a focus on developing novel design and control strategies for SUAS that improve scientific capability and integrate safely into the national airspace system.
Christine Gleicher
Christine Gleicher is a PhD student in the Environmental Engineering Program researching microbiology, organic chemistry and environmental science.
Collin DeMan
Collin DeMan is a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering researching molecular biology with a focus on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
Dakota Rodriguez
Dakota Rodriguez is a Ph.D. student in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering researching next-generation battery materials and systems using novel surface chemistries.
Justyn Bunkley
Justyn Bunkley is a Ph.D. student in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences researching astrodynamics, with a focus in space debris removal and on-orbit servicing.
Mario Dueñas
Mario Duenas is a PhD student in the Department of Physics researching atomic molecular optics with a focus on neutral atom and ion traps for applications in quantum computing, atom interactions in special relativity and electric dipole-dipole interactions.
Miles Mena
Miles Mena is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science in the Science of Science and Computational Discovery Lab.
Rachael Carreras
Rachael Carreras is a Master's student in Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences researching aerospace engineering with a focus in bioastronautics, particularly radiobiology, spacesuits, space medicine, spacecraft design and spacecraft systems.
Arielle Platero
Arielle Platero is a PhD student in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering researching fluid mechanics and experimental research in engineering.
Shantae Gallegos
Shante Gallegos is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Program with a focus on developing novel technologies and methodologies that will transform medical treatments and patient care.
Yassmeen Youssef
Yassmeen Youssef is a PhD student in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering researching the development of computational fluid dynamic simulations that can accurately model hypersonic combustion.