Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
Second cohort of scholars begins July 14, 2025
PRIORITY deadline: February 15, 2025. Applications will be accepted until April 15, 2025 or until all slots are filled
About LSAMP
Nutmeg Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is a collaboration of the 4 CSU’s, under the leadership of SCSU’s provost, working together to create a program that provides academic support and specialized advising for students from historically underrepresented groups (Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Black, African American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander) who wish to enter non-medical STEM professions.
LSAMP is a federally funded program through the National Science Foundation (NSF). At Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), the NSF grant will support a total of 4 cohorts of 15 students with the second cohort beginning in Summer 2025. The program consists of a summer bridge program (Summer before first year at WCSU), math tutoring and peer mentor support, undergraduate research experiences, internships, field excursions, social events and more.
Lois Stokes
The LSAMP program name came from the late Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, who was responsible for numerous minority focused programs through the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Eligibility Criteria
Based on NSF requirements:
To be accepted into the program for the first 2 of the 4 years at WCSU, a student must be:
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Enrolled full time at WCSU in an undergraduate non-medical STEM discipline
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Any U.S. Citizen or US Permanent Resident is welcome to apply to the program; however we will be evaluating applications based on meeting the NSF’s overall goal of the program, which is to assist universities and colleges in diversifying the nation's STEM workforce by increasing the number of STEM degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in these disciplines: American Indian or Alaskan Native, African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino Americans, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or two or more races
Fields
of Study
This is a list of LSAMP applicable WCSU majors
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BiologyBiology
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ChemistryChemistry
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Computer ScienceComputer Science
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MathMath
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Secondary Education MathSecondary Education Math
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PsychologyPsychology
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Applied & Computational MathApplied & Computational Math
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Option 1: Mathematics of Data Science and Machine Learning
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Option 2: Actuarial Science
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Option 3: Applied Differential Equations and Scientific Computing
Summer Bridge Program
Covered for the WCSU LSAMP scholars and taking place the summer right before the beginning of your first year at WCSU, the Summer Bridge Program is a required, one-time, 5-week, pre-college residential program that includes:
Math Course
The Summer Bridge course will address any foundational math skills gaps the students have (through STEM related problems) and how such skills are linked to the kinds of questions they will see later on in their respective STEM fields.
Field Trips & Research
Besides the specially designed math course, the Bridge program will include community building and professional development through field trips, social events and intro to STEM faculty mentors for research opportunities.
Tutoring and Resources
Along with a relevant First Year Experience (FYE) academic course, the summer bridge program will also include academic coaching sessions, orientation to all university resources and workshop with our Career Success Center.
The LSAMP program also includes:
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Free outreach training programs by industry mentors
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First Year Seminar Series biweekly with all the CSUs (CSU STEM faculty/industry partners) and all the LSAMP scholars. Follow-up meetings at each campus
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Relevant undergraduate summer research with research faculty or industry mentors and paid internships in industry that aren’t based on advanced (3rd or 4th year) knowledge within the student’s major; rather the LSAMP scholars will be involved in such activities early on (in the summer of their first year) within a group setting and a supportive and encouraging environment preparing them for further learning within their chosen field
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Targeted collaboration among campus student support services (admissions, advisement, math tutoring, career success services etc.)
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Math Tutoring and Peer Mentoring
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Interdisciplinary teams to solve project-based learning projects given by industry partners or professors from the CSUs (collaborative among the 4 CSUs)
Kathwari Honors Program
The LSAMP students/scholars who complete 60 credit hours (their first two years) at WCSU with a WCSU GPA of 3.2, or higher, will automatically be invited to be part of the Associate Kathwari Honors Program and receive all the benefits such membership provides. As part of this Honors program, students are required to take 3 HON courses as well as complete 2 Honors Activities in their years 3 and 4 at WCSU.
Benefits in years 3 and 4: Priority Registration; Credit Boost of up to 21 credits, instead of 17.9, with no additional charges or fees; 24/7 access to the Honors House for study and communal space; Strong Network.
Contact Us
Stavros Christofi, PhD
Professor & Math Clinic Director
Co-Pi/IC, Nutmeg NSF LSAMP @ WCSU
christofis@wcsu.edu
(203) 837-9003
