Access Network
Full title of project: Access Network: Supporting Retention and Representation in Physics Through an Alliance of Campus-Based Diversity Programs
Principal Investigators: Daniel Reinholz, SDSU; Joel Corbo, CU Boulder; Scott Franklin & Corey Ptak, Rochester Institute of Technology; Anna Zaniewski, Arizona State University. Funded by the National Science Foundation, 2015-2018.
Website: http://accessnetwork.org/
Description: The Access Network consists of six university-based programs
co-working with graduate and undergraduate students across the country
towards a vision of a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible
STEM community. To realize this vision, Access and its member programs
empower students as co-leaders, giving them voice and ownership over
local and national efforts. Access sites focus on fostering supportive
learning communities, engaging students in authentic science practices,
and attending to students’ development as STEM professionals. One major
goal of the network is to expand on local efforts, by cultivating
inter-institutional communities and facilitating the sharing of ideas
across sites.
The programs within Access were inspired by the Compass Project at
the University of California Berkeley. Since 2007, student leaders in
Compass have promoted diversity in the physical sciences through myriad
projects, including an annual summer program for incoming first-year
undergraduate students. Of the 108 students who completed the summer
program between 2007-13, 44% were women, 29% were from underrepresented
minority groups, and 21% were first-generation college students. About
half of these students completed degrees in four years and 100%
completed degrees in six years, with 80% earning a STEM degree. For its
dedication to student-led community, the American Physical Society
honored Compass with the 2012 Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics
Education.
In 2015, Compass and five similar programs came together to form
Access. While every site reflects the core values of the network, each
program differs from the others. These differences in programming are a
reflection of the particular student populations at each site. For
example, unlike other sites in the network, IMPRESS at Rochester
Institute of Technology engages with a large number of deaf and
hard-of-hearing students. Accordingly, the design and implementation of
IMPRESS is uniquely tailored to its local population. Thus, each site
contributes to the network valuable perspectives and expertise on how to
promote diversity and equity in STEM.
For more information, visit the Access Network website.