Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program
-
Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program celebrates 20 years of improving representation in STEM
Since the first cohort was enrolled 20 years ago, 190 students have participated in the program, 157 master’s degrees have been awarded, 137 students have bridged to a Ph.D. program, and 70 students have earned a Ph.D. The program has an 88 percent Ph.D. completion rate, more than twice the national average of 43 percent. Read MoreNov 22, 2024
-
2024 MacArthur Fellow Keivan Stassun: Reaching for the stars while raising others up
See how a passion to help underrepresented students ignited astrophysicist Keivan Stassun’s mission, earning him a MacArthur “genius” award. Read MoreOct 7, 2024
-
Spring 2024 Scaling Success awardees announced
Vanderbilt's Spring 2024 Scaling Success Grant awards support four innovative research projects, empowering faculty to secure expanded external funding. The grant program, initiated in 2022, has already helped its inaugural awardees obtain prestigious grants. Read MoreJul 23, 2024
-
Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center presents annual awards to five Vanderbilt community members
The Women's Center presents awards in three categories each year: the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center Leadership Award, the Mentoring Award and the Mary Jane Werthan Award. This spring, the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center named five people from the Vanderbilt community as recipients of its annual awards. Read MoreApr 15, 2024
-
From Scaling Success to NSF: Vanderbilt, Fisk create winning formula in multi-messenger astronomy
The Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, emphasizing multi-messenger astronomy, utilized strategic funding from a Scaling Success Internal Award to secure a $1.7 million NSF grant. This collaborative journey, focusing on inclusive STEM education and innovative training approaches, highlights the power of adaptability and vision in research endeavors. Read MoreOct 12, 2023
-
Grant helps Vanderbilt-Fisk partnership build first-ever U.S. graduate certificate course in multi-messenger astronomy
The Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, a partnership to create equitable pathways to STEM, has been awarded a Sloan Foundation grant for the first U.S. graduate certificate course in multi-messenger astronomy. Read MoreMar 3, 2023
-
Vanderbilt astronomers discover exceedingly rare star
A team of astronomers has made the discovery of a lifetime that will help answer burning questions on the evolution of stars. The group is led by Keivan Stassun, Evolutionary Studies Initiative member and Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Read MoreFeb 11, 2022
-
Kelly Holley-Bockelmann receives Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for contributions to science and society
Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, Stevenson Professor of Astrophysics, has received the 2022 Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The award is for individuals who have mentored significant numbers of underrepresented students who are working toward doctorates in STEM. Read MoreFeb 9, 2022
-
Stephen Taylor receives NSF CAREER award to study gravitational waves from supermassive black holes
Stephen Taylor, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to further his efforts to probe ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves. Read MoreDec 14, 2021
-
Vanderbilt professor to discuss best practices to achieve diversity at the Ph.D. level in virtual event on April 8
Keivan Stassun will discuss strategies to increase underrepresented minorities at the Ph.D. level in science and engineering in an event hosted by the Association of American Universities on Thursday, April 8, at noon CT. Read MoreMar 26, 2021
-
Vanderbilt scientists sketch rare star system using more than a century of astronomical observations
Vanderbilt astronomers have painted their best picture yet of an RV Tauri variable—a rare type of stellar binary—by mining a 130-year-old dataset that spans the widest range of light yet collected for one of these systems, from radio waves to X-rays. Read MoreMar 15, 2021
-
New grant helps minority STEM scholars advance as postdocs
With support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, Vanderbilt will help advance underrepresented minority astrophysics scholars to secure faculty appointments with elite postdoctoral fellowships. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
-
Open Mind: Telling our stories of diversity and hope
In her latest "Open Mind" column, Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente reflects on the words carved into the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Read MoreJan 13, 2020
-
Ph.D. bridge programs show success in fostering diversity and inclusion, according to new study
A team of STEM researchers, including Vanderbilt astrophysicist Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, have published a new collaborative study on Ph.D. bridge programs as a mechanism to empower students, foster diversity and spur a more holistic approach to graduate education. Read MoreDec 6, 2019
-
Vanderbilt astrophysicist and National Academies committee publish report on effective STEMM mentorship
A National Academies committee, featuring Vanderbilt astrophysicist Keivan Stassun, published a report and resource guide on effective mentorship in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. Read MoreOct 31, 2019
-
Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. program developing and mentoring next generation of STEM leaders
A lively group of students, faculty, staff and postdocs participating in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program recently gathered in the lobby of the Vanderbilt Engineering and Science Building for the program’s annual mentor mixer. Read MoreDec 10, 2018
-
Keivan Stassun named 2018 AAAS mentor of the year
Astrophysicist Keivan Stassun has been named mentor of the year by AAAS for his efforts in increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM Ph.D. programs. Read MoreFeb 15, 2018
-
Stellar astrophysicist Keivan Stassun talks about total solar eclipse, scientific wonder on ‘The Zeppos Report’
In prelude to the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos interviews astronomy expert Keivan Stassun on "The Zeppos Report." Read MoreAug 17, 2017
-
Enroll in Vanderbilt Osher spring 2017 classes
The August total solar eclipse, digital humanities and moral intelligence are among the diverse topics covered during the spring term of Vanderbilt's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Read MoreFeb 24, 2017
-
Vanderbilt earns top rankings, including a No. 1, for successful minority recruitment in master’s and Ph.D. programs
"Diverse: Issues In Higher Education" has ranked Vanderbilt University No. 1 in the country for the number of doctoral degrees awarded to African Americans in the biological and biomedical sciences. Read MoreDec 12, 2016