SOCORRO, N.M. – The New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation has received a five-year, $4 million grant renewal from the National Science Foundation for 2018-2023. New Mexico State University is the lead institution for the statewide program that was created in 1993. 

Student Affairs Director Michael Voegerl oversees the program at New Mexico Tech. Currently, 18 students are enrolled in the program, with 11 of them receiving an average of $1,000.

“Any student who has some minority status is eligible for the AMP program,” Voegerl said. “Professional development is a big part of the program – how to network at conferences and how to get into conferences. We help them find additional resources for their research as well.”

(Pictured at right: Michael Voegerl accompanied four AMP students to the HACU Conference in October 2018. From left are Eric Sandoval, Adriana Gallegos, Voegerl, Adrianna Nieto, and Vincent Herrera.)

Voegerl can work with students from any department on campus. In addition to financial support, students in AMP present research at the Student Research Symposium at NMT and the AMP Conference every fall in Las Cruces.

Voegerl uses the program as a recruiting tool as well. Every summer, NMT hosts a summer program for community college students who are interested in AMP.

New Mexico AMP helps underrepresented minority students in the state with activities designed to increase student recruitment, retention and graduation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program also supports academic and professional development of underrepresented STEM students. 

(Pictured at right: Physics professor Dr. Richard Sonnenfeld (center) sets up a lightning interferometer with NMT student Joshua Benavidez (left) and future NMT student Eric Morton.)

“This continued funding allows us to continue the programs we’ve been successful with, and to better understand what makes them work. We continually assess our programs so that we can make them as effective as possible,” said J. Phillip King, New Mexico AMP director and civil engineering professor at NMSU. 

“The NM Alliance for Minority Participation has a long track record of great work to create opportunities for students to pursue careers in STEM disciplines – and in supporting students as they embark on that journey,” said Richard L. Wood, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. “That the National Science Foundation recognizes this good work with the new grant only confirms what we know from experience: this work matters for our students and for the future we will all share.”

Since New Mexico AMP was established, the number of bachelor degrees in STEM fields for underrepresented minority students has more than tripled from 253 in 1992-1993 to 858 in 2015-2016. The percentage of bachelor degrees in STEM fields awarded to underrepresented minority students doubled from 24 to 48 percent during that period as well. 

About 1,500 students in New Mexico are served through outreach, mentoring, tutoring, bridge programs, undergraduate research, learning communities, professional development workshops and presentation events. 

While NMSU is the lead institution, the New Mexico AMP partnership has seven university partners: Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Northern New Mexico College, University of New Mexico and Western New Mexico University; and seven community college partners; Central New Mexico College, Luna Community College, NMSU-Alamogordo, NMSU-Carlsbad, NMSU-Dona Ana Community College, Santa Fe Community College and San Juan Community College.

 – NMT –