Spelman has sustained efforts to build excellent undergraduate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that reflect student interest and rigorous academic training. The College is one of six Model Institutions for Excellence designated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its significant track record for recruiting, retaining, and graduating African-American women in science and for catalyzing their subsequent graduate study and pursuit of professional careers. Also, NSF ranks Spelman as the #1 bachelor degree-granting institution of African-American women who have obtained doctorate degrees in STEM fields. Spelman sustained success considered against the current national backdrop illustrates the critical role the institution plays in preparing students to contribute to a diverse STEM workforce. The aim of the program is to promote the retention and professional development of students majoring in physical science or mathematics who are currently engaged in research relevant to NASA.

Objective 1: Four annual scholarships in the amount of $2500 each will be provided to students majoring in a physical science or mathematics
Objective 2: Selected students will successfully engage in professional development and outreach activities, which prepare them for future careers in STEM

In the 2017-18 AY, LINCS scholars were exposed to and engaged in activities geared towards cultivating awareness and analytically engaging issues around being a woman of color in STEM and inequality in general. Details of monthly meetings consist of the following:
August – Welcome back/orientation meeting.
September- One on one meetings with the directors
October 2- seminar Incarceration and Health â3-5pm, Student Success Center, at Georgia Tech
November 4- Climate Justice meeting and workshop – A workshop for approximately 100 leading EJ leaders and public health practitioners, scholars, and students to advance work towards climate justice- at Spelman
November 18- Stanford University- Grad School 101 workshop
January- Bonding trip to MIT QBio workshop, Cambridge, MA, January 2-9, 2018.
February 8- Host Public Lecture, Dr. Kimberly Griffin, The Importance of Being, Seeing, and Finding Yourself in science (dinner included with speaker)
March 29- Reproductive Justice (Race and Racism in Biomedicine, Georgia Tech
April 27- Senior Sendoff and final fireside chat of the academic year with the directors.

Additional activities involved video journaling a platform used to reflect scholarsâ activities and self-efficacy development. Each week scholars submitted a voice or video entry that was 1 â 2 minutes in length where they were required to address various prompts. Scholars crafted their resume and personal statements were crafted for applying to summer research programs or internships and/or graduate school. Both were noted as important tools to market their experiences and communicate their education, work experiences, and skills related to the type of internship they were seeking. The program directors met with the scholars (individually), reviewed and edited each scholarâs resume and personal statement and gave advice for crafting stronger documents. Some of the scholars requested an additional meeting to prepare for graduate school interviews.