Hold Fast to Dreams

Hailed as a national model for preparing students of all backgrounds for careers in science and engineering-related fields, the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program will mark its 20th anniversary April 4 and 5 with a scientific symposium and celebration expected to draw 600 participants from across the nation.

Nearly 200 Meyerhoff alumni will join students, families, mentors and supporters in honoring the program’s success. The weekend includes poster sessions and scientific presentations demonstrating the talent and accomplishments of Meyerhoff alumni and students; panel discussions on “Building a Diverse Science and Engineering Workforce” and “Diversifying the Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. Pipeline” featuring Meyerhoff alumni, mentors and supporters; and department open houses.

“Our Twentieth Anniversary event is a special milestone for a program that has already established many milestones in advancing diversity in the STEM fields,” said Michael Summers, chair of the symposium, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “The impact that Meyerhoff alumni have on the world as scientists, medical doctors, engineers, educators and more is inspiring. We are especially excited that corporate and foundation partners and representatives from federal agencies will attend in order to connect with Meyerhoff talent.”

Earnestine Baker, executive director of the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, said, “The Meyerhoff Program’s success is built on the premise that, among like-minded students who work closely together, positive energy is contagious. By assembling such a high concentration of high-minority students in a tightly knit learning community, our Meyerhoff Scholars continually inspire one another to do more and better. Therefore, it is fitting that we bring our alumni back to campus to reconnect, share research and network.”

Currently, 200 Meyerhoff alumni have completed graduate degrees, and 250 more are in graduate school. “The Meyerhoff program is truly making a difference,” said LaMont Toliver, director of the Meyerhoff Scholar Program. “Meyerhoff Scholars are twice as likely to graduate with a science or engineering major than students who decline the scholarship offer. Their GPAs in science, math and engineering are higher, and they are significantly more likely to enroll in a graduate program in a technical field.”

At every gathering of Meyerhoff Scholars, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski reminds students of the importance of persistence, asking them to recite the Langston Hughes poem expressing that sentiment:

“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.”

A symbol of the Meyerhoff Program’s culture and a reminder of the importance of their shared goals, these words reinforce the value of investment in personal aspirations and those of an entire community.

Hrabowski said, “UMBC has become a national model for excellence and inclusiveness in higher education. Science magazine has identified the Meyerhoff Program as one of the nation’s leading initiatives ‘for training minorities and women scientists,’ specifically citing ‘institutional leadership’ as one of the program’s strongest components because our leading faculty and staff have embraced the program.”

For more information on the Meyerhoff program, visit www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff.

(4/1/08)

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