August 30, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is one of three universities nationwide selected to pilot a program that aims to increase the number of minorities certified to teach science, mathematics and technology at the high school level.

The pilot program, the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Bridge to Teaching Fellowship Program, is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and LSAMP, a national, multidisciplinary program created to increase the numbers of minorities with bachelor’s degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

UAB will receive a $600,000 NSF grant for the pilot project. Louis Dale, Ph.D., UAB Vice President for Equity and Diversity, will be the principal investigator on the project. Other sites for the pilot program are Arizona State University and City University of New York.

Seventeen students will be selected to study at UAB to earn a master’s degree and a teaching certificate. The students will receive full tuition and fees, a $20,000 stipend, a housing allowance, a student teaching assignment and job placement.

To qualify, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and be current or former participants in the LSAMP project. They also must have a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics from a participating LSAMP college or university by December 2006, acceptance into the UAB Graduate School, a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and a recommendation from a LSAMP principal investigator or staff member.

For more details about the Bridge to Teaching Program, or for an application, contact Louis Dale, Ph.D., at 205-934-8762 or at ldale@uab.edu.

Participating Alabama LSAMP universities are UAB, University of Alabama, University of Alabama, Huntsville, Auburn University, Alabama State University, Alabama A&M University, Miles College, Tuskegee University, Oakwood College, Stillman College, Talladega College and Tougaloo College in Mississippi.