By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia
Minority students who want to pursue graduate work with a
cutting-edge researcher will want to take a good look at Mary
Alice Smith, a University of Georgia environmental health
science professor.
Smith was recently made a member of the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. network. As a member, she can
recruit minority students to become Sloan Scholars under her
direction.
The Sloan Foundation Ph.D. Program offers $30,000 scholarships
to minority students starting their doctoral work in
engineering, natural science or mathematics. The Sloan Ph.D.
network is composed of faculty members and departments from 49
participating universities that recruit students for the
scholarships.
“We have faculty at universities across the country,” said Ted
Greenwood, program director for the Sloan Foundation. “We look
for those who we believe (will be) able to successfully
recruit, mentor and graduate minority Ph.D.s.”
Smith has a track record of working well with students. She won
the UGA Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor/Mentor
Awards for 2001-2002.
“I’m really thrilled to be selected for this,” Smith
said. “There are too few minority scientists. I’m looking
forward to working with some fine students.”
Along with undergraduate courses, Smith teaches a graduate
course in environmental risk assessment and risk communication.
She researches the adverse effects of chemicals and
microorganisms on pregnancy and developing fetuses.
To encourage faculty members to actively recruit candidates,
the Sloan Foundation awards a $2,000 grant for each Sloan
Scholar who completes a Ph.D. under their direction. This money
can be used for any purpose related to further recruitment of
more Sloan Scholars.
“Often (university) departments sit around waiting to see who
walks in the door,” Greenwood said. “We’ve found that’s not the
best way to work with minorities, (which) is why we give the
(recruitment) money to faculty. For every Ph.D. graduate Dr.
Smith oversees, she will get $2,000 to use. She could do the
recruiting herself. Or she could send one of her students to
meetings or other campuses.”
This is exactly the type of resource UGA wants to use to get
more minority students pursuing advanced degrees, said Don
McLellan, director of the Office of Diversity Relations in the
UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“Our college has made tremendous progress in recruiting
minority graduate students in the past three years,” McLellan
said. “We believe we will become the school of choice for many
more minority students pursuing advanced degrees as we continue
our outreach efforts.”
Overall, UGA is scoring well with respect to minority
recruitment in graduate school. Black Issues in Higher
Education recently ranked the university 16th in the nation
for the number of doctorates conferred on African Americans.
Tony Capomacchia, a pharmaceutical scientist and graduate
coordinator for the UGA College of Pharmacy, is UGA’s only
other member of the Sloan Ph.D. network. He began recruiting
and mentoring Sloan Scholars in 1999. His first three Sloan
Scholars are slated to graduate in 2004.
“This is a wonderful program and opportunity (for students),”
said Capomacchia. “The scholarships provide the students about
half of what they need toward the total cost of graduate
school. And it’s a great way of leveraging funds.”
(Cat Holmes is a news editor with the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
