Related papers: Naming the SMD Bridge Program--A White Paper
In line with the Astro2020 Decadal Report State of the Profession findings and the NASA core value of Inclusion, the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Bridge Program was created to provide financial and programmatic support to efforts…
The Cal-Bridge program connects promising juniors and seniors from underrepresented groups with STEM faculty mentors to help smooth the transition from undergraduate to graduate programs.
The lack of diversity in physics and astronomy PhD programmes is well known but has not improved despite decades of efforts. PhD bridge programmes provide an asset-based model to help overcome the societal and disciplinary obstacles to…
We review some key issues pertaining to NASA's Research and Analysis programs, and offer recommended actions to mitigate or resolve these issues. In particular, we recommended that NASA increases funding to support a healthy selection rate…
In most physical sciences, students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups constitute a small percentage of earned degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Bridge programs can serve as an initiative to increase the number of…
In an increasingly connected and networked world, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recognizes the value of the public as a strategic partner in addressing some of our most pressing challenges. The agency is working…
NASA Astrophysics Division funds development of cutting-edge technology to enable its missions to achieve ambitious and groundbreaking science goals. These technology development efforts are managed by the Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic…
This white paper advocates for the creation of a community-wide program to maintain precise mid-transit times of exoplanets that would likely be targeted by future platforms. Given the sheer number of targets that will require careful…
This article tells the story of the founding of the Compass Project at UC Berkeley and describes its impacts. The Compass Project is a self-formed group of graduate and undergraduate students in the physical sciences. Its goals are to…
This white paper highlights the work that is needed to anticipate the challenges and societal impacts of a possible technosignature detection. We recommend practical steps to strengthen NASA's astrobiology agenda, guided by the existing…
This paper describes some of the results of a National Science Foundation Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education project that aims to establish a nanoscience and nanotechnology program at the University of North Dakota. The goal is to…
The United Nations Programme on Space Applications, implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, promotes the benefits of space-based solutions for sustainable economic and social development. The Programme assists…
The validation of NASA Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) satellite precipitation products is important for their credibility and utility within the larger community. This document defines GPM ground validation scientific objectives and…
Over the past decade, astronomers have been using an increasingly larger number of web-based applications and archives to conduct their research. However, despite the early success in creating links across projects and data centers, the…
This paper critically analyzes the National Science Foundation's Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM. While supporting its mission to broaden participation for underrepresented groups, the study finds current policies inadequate for…
The Multimessenger Diversity Network (MDN), formed in 2018, extends the basic principle of multimessenger astronomy -- that working collaboratively with different approaches enhances understanding and enables previously impossible…
Students with disabilities (SWDs) often struggle with note-taking during lectures. Therefore, many higher education institutions have implemented peer note-taking programs (PNTPs), where peer note-takers (PNTs) assist SWDs in taking lecture…
The proposed changes to Science Missions Directorate (SMD) Policy Document 41 (SPD-41) include requirements that SMD-funded software should be released using a permissive software license and following best practices from the open source…
Mentorship is critical to student academic success and persistence, especially for students from historically underrepresented (HU) groups. In a program designed to support the academic success of HU undergraduates in STEM who wish to…
The field of exoplanetary science has emerged over the past two decades, rising up alongside traditional solar system planetary science. Both fields focus on understanding the processes which form and sculpt planets through time, yet there…