2021/05/10 by Tierra Candelaria, Candelaria, Tierra, Qiana Hunt +3
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Advances in Oncology and Radiotherapy #Career Development and Diversity #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2105.04713
openalex publication_date 2021/05/10 · openalex created_date 2022/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The COVID-19 global pandemic spurred sudden and dramatic changes in the way universities and research programs operate, often with negative consequences that have disproportionately affected minorities, women, and people with low income. These consequences compound the difficulties these groups faced prior to the pandemic | in particular, the increased obstacles marginalized students encounter while pursuing STEM career paths. The National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) was founded to support underrepresented physics and astronomy students by providing research opportunities and long-term mentoring. In response to the pandemic and nation-wide shutdowns, the NAC shifted both its summer research program and its annual fall conference to a fully-remote format. Here, we discuss the changes the NAC made to achieve a successful virtual transition, and provide temporary and long-term recommendations for programs seeking to provide support to marginalized undergraduate and graduate researchers moving forward.