The National Physical Science Consortium is a US non-profit organization composed of leading universities, national laboratories, corporations, and government agencies whose aim is increase the number of American citizens with

graduate degrees Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

and

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

s in the

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

and related engineering fields. It emphasizes the recruitment of women and underrepresented minorities. Since the organization's inception in 1989, the NPSC has awarded more than 467 graduate fellowships; more than 200 at PhD level and more than 90

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. Ninety-five percent of NPSC fellows have been minority, female, or both, sections of

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

underrepresented in

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. Participating employers selecting NPSC fellows include

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a federal research facility in Livermore, California, United States. The lab was originally established as the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Livermore Branch in 1952 in response ...

, the

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

, Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico and California. The NPSC founders include

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

professor Kennedy J. Reed of the Physics & Advanced Technologies Directorate at

Fellowship program

NPSC Graduate Fellowships are offered to all American citizens and last from two to six years, providing financial support of $20,000 per year, up to a maximum of $200,000. It covers tuition and allows fellows to hold a research or teaching assistantship positions while gaining work experience with the sponsoring employer during the summer. Fellowships apply to the fields of

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, materials science, mathematical sciences,

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and numerous disciplines of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

. The NPSC also offers mentorship. Recruitment is carried out through referrals from professors and other students.Science and Engineering Programs: On Target for Women? Marsha Lakes Matyas, Linda Skidmore Dix, National Academies, 1992

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.npsc.org/index.html Scholarships in the United States Race and education in the United States