Highlights, News, and Information

that you don't want to miss! 

The Florida AGEP Pathways Alliance (FL-AGEP) is committed to advance a partnership among six universities with the goal of developing, implementing, and studying a model focused on increasing the number of minority women faculty in STEM.

Our alliance consists of three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and two Historically White Institutions (HWIs). 

HBCUs: Florida A&M University, Florida Memorial University, and Bethune Cookman University 

                  HSI: Florida International University

                  HWIs: University of South Florida and Virginia Tech 

The Florida AGEP Alliance successfully hosted the Summer 2022 Research BootCamp (RBC) with women chosen from across the state of Florida and the region. The event was held on the campus of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, July 11-15, 2022, through a hybrid-in-person/virtual combined modality. The RBC is part of the FL-AGEP mentoring model and is delivered in partnership with Sisters of the Academy (SOTA). 

The SOTA-RBC pathway is inclusive of an intensive, one-week program and continuous mentoring, coaching, and networking designed to assist women doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars, and junior faculty members in developing the skills necessary for success in the academy. Distinguishing features of this model include (1) product-driven outcomes, (2) discipline-specific mentoring, and (3) developmental training for post-doctoral scholars.   

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), we celebrate pioneers and pay homage to Hispanic women in STEM fields who have laid the foundation for our success and career exploration. We highlight four Hispanic women who have paved the way, and we encourage others to do the same in their journey through higher education and the STEM professoriate.

Antonia Novello, M.D.

Dr. Novello is the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General of the United States (U.S.). Specialized in Nephrology and Pediatrics, she assisted in the drafting of the 1984 Organ Transplantation Procurement Act while working for the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. She published studies and speeches on issues such as underage drinking, smoking, drug misuse, AIDS, children's immunization, safety procedures, and better health care for Hispanics and other minorities.

Ellen Ochoa, Ph.D.

A Ph.D. in electrical engineering and co-inventor on three patents, Dr. Ellen Ochoa was chosen as a NASA astronaut in 1990. Ellen became the first Hispanic woman astronaut for NASA and participated in four space missions as an astronaut. She has given over 300 talks as an exemplary role model and proponent for education, encouraging women and minorities to pursue STEM fields. She was added to the International Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2018.

Ynes Enriquetta Julietta Mexia 

Mexia was one of her era's most successful botanists and female plant collectors. She did not begin her career until she was 55 years old. Often alone, she started traveling in 1925 and spent 13 years exploring the Americas and collecting over 145,000 specimens. A new genus and 50 species were named after her.

Sarah Elizabeth Stewart, MD, PhD

A persistent Bacteriologist and researcher proposed the virus/cancer relationship, which NIH rejected twice because she lacked the necessary credentials. She taught at Georgetown due to the restrictions of attending medical school. When the restrictions were lifted, she was the first woman to graduate at age 43 with a medical degree in 1949. Her work contributed to creating the HPV vaccine. Finally, Sarah Stewart and Bernice Eddy at the NCI were the first to conclusively link viruses and cancer and were nominated for the Nobel Prize for their work. 

Upcoming STEM Conferences

The 2022 Women of Color STEM Digital Twin Experience (DTX) Conference will be held both in-person and online. The conference includes a variety of event spaces for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors to learn, network, share ideas, and experience entertainment. The virtual spaces will include several lobbies, halls, networking lounges, and auditoriums across two platforms.

The ERN Conference is co-sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Inclusive STEM Ecosystems for Equity & Diversity (ISEED), and the NSF Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). The ERN Conference is supported by a grant from the HBCU_UP Program - Grant No. 193047. The conference will be held in Washington, D.C., on February 9-11, 2023. Registration closes December 3 at 12 midnight (PST). 

 FL-AGEP Dissemination

The FL-AGEP Alliance team will present two papers at the national AGEP Research Conference in Corpus Christie, Texas, November 2-4, 2022. The 2022 AGEP National Research Conference will advance knowledge and understanding of models and best practices to improve pathways to the professoriate and success for historically underrepresented minority doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty to encourage and facilitate increased diversity in the STEM professoriate. The conference will bring together active alliances to increase the sharing of recent knowledge and strengthen the individual alliances by providing members an opportunity to learn from one another.

The team will also disseminate its work through two research papers at the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE), Honolulu, Hawaii, January 3-6, 2023. The Hawaii International Conference on Education provides an opportunity for academicians and professionals from various education-related fields from all over the world to come together and learn from each other.

Presentation Details:

Lane, T.B., Watson, A., Thomas, S., Cooper, A., Kos, L. & Mariella-Walrond, H. (2022). “Lots of talk, but nothing formal”: Exploring How Administrators Make Sense of the Recruitment and Retention of Early-Career Women of Color Faculty in STEM [paper]. Paper session to be presented at the 2022 Annual AGEP Conference. Corpus Christi, Texas).

Lee-Thomas, G., Watson, A., Mariella-Walrond, H., Cooper, A. Kos, L., Thomas, S., Lane, T., Thompson, H., Walker, B., Johnson-Austin, S., Rowley, A., Dome, C. (2022). Using Evaluation to Target AGEP Outcomes [paper]. Paper session to be presented at the 2022 Annual AGEP Conference. Corpus Christi, Texas).

Woods, J.C., Lane, T.B., de Murzi, N.H., Tahir, F., Johnson-Austin, S., Thomas, S., & Watson, A. (2023). Structural Impediments Impacting Early-career Women of Color Faculty Careers. Paper session to be presented at the 21st Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, Hawaii.  

Thomas, S., & Johnson-Austin, S. (2023). Train the Trainer: Landscape and Assessment Tools for Implementing a Culturally Relevant Mentoring Model for Women of Color in the Professoriate. Paper session to be presented at the 21st Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, Hawaii.

Promoting Pathways to the Professoriate at FL-AGEP Institutions

Bethune Cookman University

• Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

• Post-Doctoral Associate in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Florida International University

• Post-Doctoral Associate in Physics

University of South Florida

• Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Virginia Tech

• Assistant/Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering

National Science Foundation

Human Resources Division

NSF | HRD Project Information

"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the following Grant Numbers: Florida A&M University (FAMU) (2055302); Bethune Cookman University (BCU) (1916086); Florida International University (FIU) (1916094); Florida Memorial University (FMU) (1916044); University of South Florida (USF) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VT). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation."

Foundation Program Officer:

Dr. Mark Leddy

We Want to Share Your Story!

We want to continue to promote sustainability in the Florida AGEP Alliance and share news, information, and highlights that align with our program goal and objectives. If you have items you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.

Our email address is NSFAGEPCoordinator@famu.edu.