On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess

Dr. Isis appreciates that her success is the result the fact that someone was willing to take a chance and extend her an opportunity. When I thought about who I would write about for DNLee's Diversity in Science Carnival, I realized that the decision was fairly easy. I would write about a man for whom I have tremendous respect, who is not only a successful scientist but is also working to extend opportunities to those underrepresented in science -- Dr. Avery August.

Dr. August is Professor of Immunology and Co-Chair of Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Molecular Medicine at The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on the role of Tec family kinases in the regulation of T cells, but it is his work to advance the representation of African American students in science that has caught my eye over the last few years.  Most recently, I noticed an article written by Dr. August and collaborators in the November edition American Society for Biochemisty and Molecular Biology newsletter in which they describe a collaborative effort between Penn State and Alcorn State to encourage African American students receiving masters degrees to continue  graduate work towards receiving a PhD -- The Alcorn State:Penn State Bridges to the Doctorate Program.  In their article, Dr. August and his collaborators note:

This program was developed three years ago to tackle areas that were not being fully addressed in summer programs that aimed to increase the number of minorities that go on to the Ph.D. Most of these programs involve minority students traveling to a majority campus to do scientific research. While the programs succeed in engaging and exciting the students, thereby improving their chances of recruitment, these programs sometimes miss a vital component that significantly affects the success of these students as they enter Ph.D. programs: socialization on a majority campus.

The environment on an [Historically Black University] campus is significantly different from that of a majority campus. Many students who arrive on campus for summer programs tend to experience some form of dissonance, which negatively affects their performance and success. A number of studies have concluded that overcoming these socialization barriers can lead to increases in student retention in the biological sciences. Out-of the-classroom contact with faculty members as well as mentoring relationships with minority peer groups tend to alleviate this problem. Careful monitoring and advising can reduce the numbers of students who are unsuccessful due to lack of the appropriate resources or help outside the classroom. The Meyerhoff program at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, in particular, brilliantly illustrates these concepts at work, and is now renowned for the number of minorities it graduates in the sciences and places in doctoral programs.

As part of the Bridges program, students coming to this major research institution are mentored by former program participants and faculty to help ensure their success.  But what I am most impressed by is the fact that not only have Dr. August and his collaborators noted the attrition of minority candidates between the bachelor and PhD degrees (15.2% of bachelors degrees in the biomedical sciences are earned by minorities while only 5.2% of those receiving a PhD belong to a minority group), they are taking real, tangible steps to increase diversity in science. 

To say that I admire Dr. August's work is an understatement.  He is not only an incredible role model for those students aspiring towards a graduate degree, but he's an incredible role model for more senior scientists as well. Dr. August is both a  tremendous advocate and a well-funded and well-published researcher, maintaining a large and successful lab group.  Thus, Dr. August shows the rest the research community via his example that having an ambitious research program and taking the initiative to affect real change for minorities in science need not be mutually exclusive. 

 So, I suppose the real question is, what are the rest of us doing?