at&t labs and lucent bell laboratories ph.d. fellowship...

Copyright 2002 AT&T All Rights Reserved

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AT&T Labs and Lucent Bell Laboratories Ph.D. Fellowship Programs 1972-2002

Elaine P. Laws--AT&T Labs


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AT&T Labs and Lucent Bell Laboratories Ph.D. Fellowship Programs 1972 - 2002

Elaine P. Laws--AT&T Labs

During 2002, AT&T Labs and Lucent Bell Laboratories will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their sponsorship of Ph.D. fellowship programs for under-represented minorities 1and women in science and engineering. In the early 1970s AT&T's research and development organization, then known as "Bell Laboratories," initiated efforts to recruit minority students for technical positions within the Labs. These efforts were the result of suggestions from the African American and women's communities within the R&D organization. Since the numbers of under-represented minority and women students graduating with Ph.D.s in disciplines relevant to the work of the Labs was very small, the Labs leadership realized that they would have to take an active role in identifying, encouraging, and supporting students in these groups to pursue studies in mathematics and engineering. This paper summarizes the common histories and goals of the programs, their launch and operation, their use of internships and mentors and the results of the combined AT&T and Lucent programs over the 30 year period of their operation.

Introduction Doctoral fellowship and grant programs were launched at AT&T's Bell Laboratories for under-

represented minorities in 1972 and for women in 1974. They were respectively named the Cooperative Research Fellowship Program (CRFP) and the Graduate Research Fellowship Program for Women (GRPW). These two programs were funded by the Bell Laboratories research and development organization until 1992 at which time the AT&T Foundation assumed responsibility for their funding while Bell Labs R&D staff continued to support student recruiting, selection, internships and mentoring of students in these programs. With AT&T's trivestiture in 1996, Bell Labs was split between AT&T and the newly formed Lucent Technologies. The Bell Labs name was retained by Lucent, and AT&T's R&D organization became known as AT&T Labs. The fellowship and grant programs continued in the two companies with each company's foundations providing funding for the programs. The students in progress in the programs were split between the two organizations based on their disciplines and research focus and the R&D staff of each organization continued its efforts in recruiting, selecting, and providing internships and mentoring for the students. AT&T Labs combined the elements of the fellowship and grant programs for minorities and women into one program and named its program the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program (ALFP) while Lucent Bell Laboratories continued to maintain the two programs separately.

Fellowship and Grant Program History In the early 1970s when the effort to develop Doctoral fellowship and grant programs was

undertaken, the Bell Laboratories R&D leadership had few models on which to base their programs. Programs such as the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) were introduced in 1974 to support students in completing Master's degrees. Other minority fellowship programs were initiated later, such as the National

1 Minorities considered under-represented in engineering, mathematics, and science include African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics.


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Science Foundation's Graduate Minority Fellowship Program2 and the Ford Foundation Fellowships for Minorities that began making awards in 1978 and 1980 respectively3. Each of these provided students with funds for graduate study. The Bell Laboratories program, however, from its earliest beginnings sought to build close relationships with the students chosen for its programs, providing mentoring and summer internships for them. The early supporters of the programs took a personal interest in the development and the success of the students. They worked to improve recruiting efforts through close contacts with universities where promising students might be found. They also worked with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as well as other colleges and universities to improve and expand their undergraduate curriculums to better prepare students for graduate school. They established committees of technical leaders to oversee the recruitment, selection, and progress of the students and assigned technical staff to work closely with students.

In 1970’s underrepresented groups accounted for less than 2.0% of the Engineering and Physical Science doctoral degrees awarded to American citizens and permanent residents in the US4. In 1975 34 doctoral degrees in Engineering and 53 in the Physical sciences were awarded to students from under-represented minority groups. As is evident from the low number of doctoral degrees awarded to minorities 1970s, universities were not proactive and maybe risk-adverse when dealing with minority candidates. The process of considering and successfully guiding minorities to doctoral degrees was heavily weighted against success. The objective was to significantly increase the number of doctoral degrees awarded to minority candidates in technical areas of expertise present at Bell Labs.

The first of the programs, CRFP, was started in 1972 by seeking highly qualified under-represented minority students enrolled from universities local to New Jersey Bell Labs facilities. The schools from which students were recruited were City College of New York, Columbia University, New York University, Polytechnic University, Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Princeton University.

Students selected for the program spent the first summer after their senior year of college working at the Labs under the guidance of a technical mentor who was a member of the R&D staff. Top researchers were selected as mentors. They worked closely with students, guiding the student's work in a research project and monitoring their progress. In the fall, the students went on to graduate school but maintained a relationship with their mentors who helped them navigate through their Ph.D. programs, acting as sounding boards and champions for the students as well as ensuring that they were making satisfactory progress towards their degrees. Bell Labs also provided financial support for graduate study. Since students had their own funds to pay for school and a stipend for their living expenses, they were not dependent on identifying funding through their university advisors or having to take on laboratory or teaching assistantships in order to finance their studies. This funding provided the students with full financial support while the mentoring provided professional support not available through other fellowship programs. In doing so, Bell Labs endorsed the student and became a stakeholder in the student's success .

An additional feature of this program was that of the academic advisor who was selected by the Labs to act as an advocate for students in academic matters on the company's behalf. This neutral party could work with university graduate advisors on behalf of students to address issues that company mentors could not handle. Examples of such issues include interventions on behalf of students to help change the focus of their research, change graduate advisors, or adjust their

2 National Research Council, Minority Science Paths:National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellows of 1979-81(Washington,D.C.:National Academy Press, 1995) p.1. 3 National Research Council, Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipients (Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel, Fellowship Programs Unit, October 1996), p.2. 4 National Science Foundation, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2000, (NSF, 2000) NSF 00-237, Appendix B, Table 4-12


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programs based on unforeseen personal needs. In many cases this support made the difference in students being able to successfully complete their Ph.D. studies.

In 1974 GRPW was launched as a result of the need to develop a program that would address the challenges of women pursing advanced degrees in the sciences. The concerns of competing in male dominated fields, the need for professional role models as well as the competitive nature and limited funding to support advanced studies in technical disciplines by women were contributing factors to the establishment of GRPW. In this program the awards were equally divided between fellowships and grants, while in CRFP only fellowships were awarded. Grants were designed to provide small annual stipends that could be used towards expenses not generally covered by other financial awards. Expenses covered by grants included funds for childcare, personal computing hardware and software and visits to other university research labs. Grant students were assigned mentors and were required to spend the first summer before attending graduate school as interns at the Labs, establishing close connections between them and their Bell Labs mentors.

In the early years, four to five students were identified annually for fellowship or grant support in each of the CRFP and GRPW programs with support continuing for a five to six year period provided students were making adequate academic progress toward the doctoral degree. Over the years, recruitment of candidates for the programs expanded beyond the initial local schools to include public and private universities across the country as well as the HBCUs and HSIs. Additionally, to help identify students early in their undergraduate careers who might have the potential to seek graduate technical degrees, the Labs established undergraduate summer intern programs to give women and minorities the opportunity to work in an industrial research environment. To further reach students in high school before they went on to college, the Labs provided a week long series of seminars and laboratory visits for high school students that gave them exposure to the work of scientists and engineers across the Labs.

By the 1990s, the number of students grew to a total of 16 students selected annually in the combined programs with a portion being awarded grants. When Bell Labs was split in 1996 between AT&T and Lucent Technologies, half of the students in the programs were designated to be supported by AT&T Labs based on their technical area of study while and the balance were to be supported by Lucent's Bell Labs. Lucent retained the CRFP and GRPW program names and continues to administer these programs, selecting approximately 6 students for CRFP and 6 for GRPW annually and now providing funding support for up to 4 years. AT&T Labs combined these two programs and renamed the combined program the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program (ALFP). Each year AT&T Labs selects 4 students for fellowships and 4 students for grants, half of each being designated for under-represented minorities and the other half for women. Funding support for students in the ALFP is renewable annually for a period of up to six years provided the student is making satisfactory progress toward their Ph.D. Both companies continue to support high school student awareness seminars, science fairs and laboratory visits as well as summer intern programs for undergraduates, graduates, and post graduates to encourage students to pursue science and engineering studies and careers.

Application and Selection to the Programs On average, each program receives about 125 student applications annually. Of those, about

half of the applicants meet the standards of the programs. The qualifications required for the programs include the following: the student must be beginning full-time Ph.D. studies in a graduate program accepted by the company; must have demonstrated high potential for success in scientific research; and must be a woman or a member of a minority under-represented in the sciences in the U.S. Awards are given only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents since the support provided is to help improve the number of women and under-represented minorities in the science and technology arena in the U.S. versus other countries across the world. To apply


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for a fellowship or grant, applicants are required to complete an application to the program; provide official transcripts of grades from all undergraduate schools attended; a written statement of interest and their research and career goals; three letters of recommendation by college professors who can evaluate the student's potential for research; and Graduate Record Examination scores on the Aptitude Test and appropriate Advanced Test.

Of those students who apply, 15-25 are selected for each program for on-site interviews during which prospective fellowship and grant candidates meet with Labs professionals in their areas of academic interest. During the on-site company interviews, students get to talk with and select their prospective mentors. This is an important activity since these mentors will work to develop the initial intern assignment for the students selected and will continue to work with and evaluate the student's progress towards completion of the Ph.D. over the period of the fellowship or grant. Matching the candidate to a staff member who is willing serve as a mentor to the student is essential and an award is made only if a mentor match is found. This particular selection criterion differentiates CRFP, GRPW and ALFP from other fellowship programs. The mentor’s belief in the capability of the applicant is critical in properly supporting women and minority candidates in Ph.D. studies. Over the 30 years of the programs operation this feature has been tested when student problems with faculty, or personal or technical difficulties have arisen. The value of the Ph.D. endeavor can only sustained when a suitable mentor for the student is chosen.

Awardees generally come from the top 10% or above of their graduating classes. Of the group interviewed, about half (8-10) are selected for the programs, reflecting a 6-8% selection rate for applicants. (See Appendix 1.) It is notable that students come from a wide range of schools across the country. (See Appendix 2.) The schools include a mix of public as well as private and minority serving colleges and universities.

Awards by field of study are shown in Table 1. Sixty percent of the awards went to Engineering majors, 40% in Electrical Engineering. Physics was the next largest group. The distribution of awards according to discipline reflects the research interest areas within Bell Labs during the1972-1995 timeframe.

Physics Chemistry Math Eng CS Other

CRFP 36 26 12 109 29 4 GRPW 36 21 16 50 28 1 Total 72 47 28 159 57 5

Table 1: Number of awards by area of study 1972-1995

Math= Mathematics+ Statistics; Eng= Chemical, Electrical, Material Science, Industrial, Mechanical, Operations Research; Other= Economics, Psychology;

Program Results Over the past 30 years, almost 500 students have received support and mentoring from the

AT&T and Lucent programs. In Table 2 the number of awards for each of the programs is summarized. In presenting the results below, the statistical analysis is limited to the years 1972-1995. Over 90% of the students who received awards between 1996 and 2002 are in the process of completing their Ph.D.s. The number of awards given in each year is provided in Appendix 3.

Years CRFP GRPW ALFP Awards

1972-1995 216 152 368 1996-2002 46* 41* 43 130

Total 262 193 43 498

Table 2: Awards by program; *Lucent funded


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Of the students earning awards in the 1972 to 1995 period, 315 students have completed Master's or Ph.D.s in the AT&T and Lucent CRFP, GRPW, and ALFP programs. The Ph.D. completion rate for these award years being 74%, with 86% completing at least a Master's degree.

PHD MS Withdrawn In-Progress

CRFP 152 38 26 0 GRPW 119 6 23 4 Total 271 44 49 4

74% 12% 13% 1%

Table 3: Summary of degrees awarded for award years 1972-1995 In-Progress= still enrolled in Ph.D. granting program

Withdrawn= drop from program + unknown degree status

The three charts that follow provide graduation and withdrawal statistics for students selected in each of the programs between 1972 through 1995. The CRFP Fellowships chart below includes information on students designated for the ALFP after the split of Bell Laboratories between AT&T and Lucent in 1996.

In CRFP/ALFP approximately 69% of the awardees receive the terminal degree, and 18% stopped at the Master's degree. Half of the students stopping at the Master's degree were enrolled in either Electrical Engineering or Computer Science. The universities with the highest enrollments of students from these programs were MIT(21%), followed by UC Berkeley(16%), Stanford(12%), Georgia Tech(6%), Cornell (5%), Columbia(3%), Harvard (2%), CalTech(2%) and Princeton(1%).

CRFP 1972-1995

Ph.D , 151, 69.9%

M.S. , 38, 17.6%

In Progress , 0, 0.0%

Withdrawn , 27, 12.5%

Figure 1: Degree yield for students enrolled in CRFP in award years 1972-1995


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GRPW Award Year (Fellows) 1975-1995

Ph.D, 40, 71%

M.S, 4, 7%

In Progress, 1, 2%

Withdrawn, 11, 20%

Figure 2: Degree yield for students enrolled in GRPW in award years 1975-1995 Includes Fellowship awardees only

For the GRPW program, the data is broken down between the fellowship and grant portions of the program. Figure 2 shows the results for the GRPW fellowship students alone, while the Figure 3 includes the GRPW grant students as well. With the grant students added to the data, the completion rates for graduates are higher. None of the data currently available indicated any specific reason that would account for this difference. It is interesting to note that CRFP and GRPW fellowship students completed the Ph.D. at roughly the same 70% rate. Further analysis of the selection and support of grant students would have to be done to determine any significant differences that may have contributed to this slightly higher rate of completion. The universities with the highest enrollments of students from this program were MIT(26%), followed by Stanford(22%), UC Berkeley(11%), Harvard (9%), Princeton(8%), Cornell (5%) and CalTech(3%).


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GRPW Awards 1975-1995

Ph.D., 119, 78%

M.S., 6, 4%

In Progress, 4, 3%

Withdrawn, 23, 15%

Figure 3: Degree yield for students enrolled in GRPW in award years 1975-1995 Includes Fellowship + grant awardees

Programs such as the Ford Foundation fellowship programs, the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science(GEM), the National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowship Program, as well as Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program and Consortium for Educational Opportunity Fellowship Programs, have reported completion results or success rates for their programs that range from 41% to 82%5,6,7.

In addition to the programs described below, it is worth mentioning that the Clare Booth Luce Program has been a source of private funding support for women in science, engineering and mathematics since 1989. This program provides graduate fellowships with 2 years of funding support. Since 1989, 377 graduate fellowships have been awarded. In some cases these fellowships have been provided to Master's level as well as Ph.D. level students. No data is available on Ph.D. completion rates for these awards at this time.8

Table 4 and the notes below compare and comment on the reported results for the GEM, Ford,

NSF and IMGIP programs.

5 J. McKillip, "Affirmative Action at Work:Performance Audit of Two Minority Graduate Fellowship programs, Illinois' IMGIP and ICEOP," Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol. 9, No. 12, April 22,2001. 6 National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, 2002 Annual Report, p.22. 7 National Research Council, Minority Science Paths:National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellows of 1979-1981 (Natinal Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1995), pp. 31-40. 8 Henry Luce Foundation, Clare Booth Luce Program, 2002.


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Program Award

years As of

Registered time to degree(RTD)

PHD

GEM Ph.D. Fellowship 1990-2002

2002 NA 73%*

Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Minority Fellowship

1986-1988 1995 7 years 41%

National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowship

1979-1981 1989 8 years 41%

Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program(IMGIP)

1986-1995 2000 5 years 55%

CRFP 1972-1995 2002 7 years 70% Table 4: Comparison of Ph.D. completion rates Estimated upper bound* Notes on Table 4 GEM PhD The GEM Ph.D. Fellowship program was started in 1990 and grants awards in Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences and some of the Life Sciences. In the 2002 (GEM, 2002) a total of 395 awards have been granted since 1990. Of these awardees 123 have completed Ph.D.’s, 67 withdrew, 39 stopped at the Masters degree and 166 are in-progress. If all in-progress students graduate the graduation rate will be 73% as compared to 74% for CRFP+ALFP for the 1972 to 2002 period. Considering only students that have completed, by this we mean counting students who have obtained Master's, Ph.D. or withdrew, yields a completion to date percentage of 54% as compared to 67% for CRFP/ALFP. Ford McKillip (McKillip,2000) adapted Tables 1 and 8 of (NRC ,1996) for the 129 minority fellowship awarded from 1986 to 1988 when studied in 1995 (RTD=7 years). He concluded that 41.1% were awarded Ph.D., 38.8% unknown status, 15.5% continuing study and 4.7% discontinued study. Ref NRC,1996 National Research Council. (1996) Status of the Ford Foundation Predoctoral and Disseration Fellowship Recipients for the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities Program (1986-1991) and Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowships for Minorities Programs (1986-1993), Washington, D.C., National Academy of Science. NSF In 1988 (RTD=7 years) the National Research Council (NRC,1995) examined the graduation rate of students in the NSF Minority Graduate Fellowship Program for award years from 1979 to 1981. By the end of 1988, 41% of the 113 awardees had completed doctoral degrees. It is important to note that on in the table given on p. 33 of the report that of the 51 awards in Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (EMP) disciplines only 19 of the awardees completed the Ph.D. after 8 years of registration. Hence in EMP the Ph.D. graduation rate was 37%. IMGIP McKillip(McKillip,2000) in 2000 examined the Ph.D. graduation rate of two state programs in Illinois, the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program (IMGIP) and the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunity Program (ICEOP). Both programs started in 1985. IMGIP and ICEOP are 100% and 97% minority populated respectively. IMGIP focuses on the doctoral degree and 58% are enrolled in Engineering, Mathematics or the Physical Sciences. Using Table 4 in the Appendix, in 2000 (RTD=5) of the 121 awards granted between 1986 and 1995 55% of the awardees received the Ph.D., 3% are in-progress, 31% withdrew and 11% are of unknown status.


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None of the programs cited above, however, has supported students pursing Ph.D.s for as long a period as the 30 years that the Labs programs cover, nor have they provided internships and the long term mentoring of the Labs programs. The Labs' overall Ph.D. completion rate during the 30 year period also compares well with the 50% completion rate for all students entering Ph.D. programs that has been cited in recent publications and studies9. Among the reasons students have cited as contributing most to their completion of Ph.D.s have been the summer internship assignment and the mentoring by Labs technical professionals. These have allowed students to develop close working relationships with seasoned researchers and provided them the opportunity to begin to explore research topics well before beginning their formal graduate work. These activities are seen as being key to successfully integrating students into Ph.D. programs 10.

The average number of years to completion of the Ph.D. over the program's history is calculated at 5.6 years for GRPW and 6.1 years for CRFP. (see Appendix 4). This number, however, reflects students who completed Ph.D.s during the 4 to 6 years of Labs support as well as those who on their own completed Ph.D.s after exiting one of the Labs programs after financial support ended. While there is no specific data to available to support whether the initial financial and mentoring support helped contribute to encouraging exiting students to eventually complete Ph.D.s, such support can be considered as being at least a contributing factor that provided students with a significant start which enabled them to complete graduate degree work over time.

Impact of the Programs There has never been a requirement that fellowship students work for AT&T and Lucent upon

completion of their Ph.D.s. However over the years many have begun their careers at the Labs. It is estimated that 30-40% of graduating student cohorts have begun their professional careers at the Labs (AT&T and Lucent). Many over time have gone on to other companies and research institutes. Some of the organizations graduates of the fellowship programs have been employed by are provided in Table 5 below. The industries represented include far more than just the telecommunications industry and reflect a broad cross-section of industries.

9 B. E. Lovitts, Leaving the Ivory Tower, 2001, p.2. 10 A. Gibbons, "Minority Programs that Get High Marks," Science, Vo. 258, No. 13, November 1992, pp.1190-1196.

Agere Agilent Labs

Allied Signal Apple

AT&T Bellcore/Telcordia Bell South Booz-Allen Hamilton Bose Chronicle of Higher Education Corning DARPA Dow Dupont GE Research Goddard Institute Hewlett Packard IBM Interval Research Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Lehman Brothers Los Alamos National Laboratory Lotus Lucent Technologies Kodak Mitre Motorola National Institute of Standards NASA Nuclear Regulatory Commission Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Sandia National Laboratory Segate Technologies Schlumberger Silicon Graphics Texas Instruments USGA Xerox

Table 5:Companies and Research Institutes Fellowship Alumni Are or Have been Employed by Approximately 30% of the graduates of the programs have as well gone on to become

professors, deans, and administrators at almost 70 U.S. universities, continuing to share their


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knowledge and commitment to developing and mentoring students for future jobs in the profession. The schools at which alumni teach or are part of the administration number among the most competitive schools in the United States. Students from many of these schools apply annually for consideration for the AT&T and Lucent fellowship and grant programs, many of whom are encouraged to do so by faculty who have themselves been alumni of these programs. While the total number of fellowship graduates either teaching or working at universities as deans, professors, or administrators in science and engineering is small when compared to the total numbers of women and under-represented minorities who comprise the ranks of doctoral scientists and engineers working at 4-year college and universities, the impact of their presence as role models and successful graduates is greater than the raw numbers would alone suggest. Students see that others like themselves have been successful in completing Ph.D.s and begin to believe that they, too, can persevere and succeed as well either in academia or industry. As academics, graduates of the programs bring their experiences from working in an industrial research laboratory to the classroom and students. Table 6 below lists the universities at which program alumni teach or are administrators.

Auburn University Arizona State University Boston University California Institute of Technology Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Clark Atlanta University City College of New York Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Florida A&M University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard University Hiriam College Hofstra University Howard University James Madison University Loyola University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Morehouse College Morgan State University North Carolina A&T University Northeastern University New Jersey Institute of Technology New Mexico State University Oberlin College Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University Polytechnic University Pomonoa College Princeton University Rutgers University Smith College Spelman College Stanford Texas A&M University of California--Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, San Diego University of Chicago University of Dayton University of Maryland--Baltimore County, College Park University of Massachusetts--Lowell University of Michigan University of Nebraska University of Pittsburgh University of Puerto Rico University of Texas--Austin University of Washington University of Wisconsin--Madison Vassar Wesleyan Williams College Yale University

Table 6: Universities at which Fellowship Alumni Teach or are Administrators

Graduates of these programs hold top positions in industry and academia. Some are founders or co-founders of companies while others hold vice presidential and other executive positions in industry. A number are deans, department heads and professors at universities across the U.S. The breadth and scope of the positions held by graduates reflects the leadership roles they play across their professions.


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Program Awards and Recognition In 1998, the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program committee applied for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring and received this award in a ceremony at the White House. This award, administered and funded by the National Science Foundation recognizes "outstanding individual and organizational programs designed to increase the participation of under-represented groups in mathematics, engineering and science" through the graduate level 11. In recognition of AT&T's efforts in encouraging women in pursuing engineering careers, AT&T Labs was also awarded the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN) Breakthrough Award in 199812. In 1999, Bell Laboratories' GRPW program received the Maria Mitchell Women in Science award. This award recognizes individuals, programs, or organizations that encourage the advancement of women in the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer science and technology13. With these awards, the programs conceived more than 20 years earlier and sustained through AT&T reorganizations and restructures were recognized for their commitment to excellence in mentoring that successfully produced a significant number of Ph.D. graduates in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.

It is also noteworthy that two graduates of the fellowship programs have as well received individual Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, reflecting their work supporting students in their academic institutions as well as the community and industry. Dr. Charles Thompson, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts--Lowell, and Dr. Armando Rodriguez, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University received these awards in 1997 and 1998 respectively14,15, .

Conclusion

Over the years the fellowship programs have been cited as among the best, "distinctive in their combination of support over the entire graduate career, the provision for summer employment opportunities and mentoring"16. It is these elements that have contributed to the numbers of students successfully completing Ph.D.s and joining the ranks of distinguished researchers. Along with mentoring and practical work experiences gotten from the initial internship, however, has been the involvement and commitment of the technical staff who continue to actively recruit, select, and participate in program committees in addition to doing their technical work. Improving the programs, coaching new mentors and successfully graduating students year after year, the Labs leadership, program committee members, and mentors have worked to pull the programs successfully through company reorganizations and staff changes. They have ensured that funding was set aside first by the R&D organization in the early years and later by the company

11 National Science Foundation News, "Presidential Awards Honor Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, NSF PR 98-49, September 10, 1998. 12 Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network Breakthrough Award, http://engr.psu.edu/wep/corporate/wepanbreakthrough.html#winners. 13 CSWP Gazette,vol. 18, No, p.12. 14 National Science Foundation Award Abstract #9724858, https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award9724858. 15 National Science Foundation Award Abstract #9814738, https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award9814738. 16 National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., for the AT&T Foundation, "The AT&T Bell laboratories Cooperative Research Fellowship Program (1972-1992) A Twenty Year Review, October 1992, p. 13.


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foundations. With the company foundations supporting these programs, the commitment of the companies to diversity in their critical R&D functions stands as a model to the rest of the organization. Additionally, by establishing awards to recognize and reward role model mentors annually, the Labs leadership kept the value of the program and its results in the minds of all and ensured recognition for valuable contributions to the program. With one and occasionally two mentors for each student in the programs and the contribution of that relationship to the student's success, the concept of mentoring has become a key part of the Labs culture, expanding to new hires, transferees, co-ops and interns across the Labs in both companies.

The early establishment of an undergraduate summer intern program in the mid 1970s at the Labs helped to encourage undergraduate students to pursue graduate study and apply to these programs. It also resulted in the establishment of general intern programs across the organization as well. The specialized undergraduate research summer intern program with its mentoring component became the model for the Labs general intern programs in which all summer interns are mentored. These programs over time provided additional sources through which to identify students for the fellowship programs as well as full time professional opportunities as well. Each summer over the years the summer intern programs have brought in up to 275 undergraduate and graduate students annually to work in the industrial research and development environment and learn as well as contribute to the vital work of the organization. That these students are also mentored is not trivial; they, as well as the fellowship students, are viewed as valuable talent to be nurtured and developed.

Looking back over thirty years, the programs have influenced both the AT&T and Lucent R&D organizations in positive ways. Both organizations continue to have strong commitments to teaching, recruiting, and coaching young and diverse talent. The relationships established with students of the fellowship programs--as well as the general summer intern programs to a lesser extent--reach throughout the careers of students and mentors alike, as students become professional peers of their past mentors. The power of the mentoring, the building of professional relationships, and the students benefiting from these programs who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to pursue technical studies at the graduate level, are the hallmarks of success that have sustained these programs over their history. The programs have provided both AT&T and Lucent with a diverse talent pool from which they as well as academia and companies in engineering and science related fields have benefited over time.


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References Gibbons, A., "Minority Programs that Get High Marks," Vol 258, No 13, November 1992. Henry Luce Foundation, Clare Booth Luce Program, 2002. Lovitts, B. E., Leaving the Ivory Tower, Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Maria Mitchell Women in Science Award-Award Winners, Committee on the Status of Women in Pyhsics (CSWP) Gazette, Vol.18. McKillip, J., "Affirmative Action at Work:Performance Audit of Two Minority Graduate Fellowship Programs, Illinois' IMGIP and ICEOP," Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol. 9, No 12, April 22, 2001. National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., for the AT&T Foundation, " The AT&T Bell Laboratories Cooperative Research Fellowship Program (1972-1992) A Twenty Year Review, October 1992. National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc., 2002 Annual Report. National Research Council, Fellowship Programs Unit--Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel, "Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipients," October 1996. National Research Council, "Minority Science Paths:National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellows of 1979-1981 National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1995. National Science Foundation Award Abstract #9724858, https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award9724858. National Science Foundation Award Abstract #9814738, https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?awards9814738. National Science Foundation News, "Presidential Awards Honor Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring", NSF PR 98-49, September 10, 1998. Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network Breakthrough Award, http://engr.psu.edu/wep/corporate/wepanbreakthrough.html#winners.


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Appendices

Appendix #1--General data on #s of applicants to the programs annually and selection percentages Appendix #2--Source of students Appendix #3--Number of students in each program by year Appendix #4--Completion Data--# of Years to Complete Degree


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Appendix 1: Average Number of Applicants to the Programs Annually

Annual Program Applicants 125 Applicants Meeting Standards 65 Applicants Selected for On-site Interviews 15-20Candidates Selected for Fellowships/Grants 8-10 Percentage of candidates selected/applicants 6-8%


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Appendix 2: Source of students/Undergraduate Institutions Alabama A&M Brown University Bryn Mawr California Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve City College of New York Clark Atlanta University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Drew University Duke University Florida International Florida Institute of Technology Fordham University Furman University Georgia Institute of Technology Grambling State College Hampton University Harvard University Howard University Hunter College Illinois Institute of Technology Jackson State Johns Hopkins University Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMichigan State Middlebury College

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Mexico State New York University Norfolk State University North Carolina A&T North Carolina State University Northern Arizona Notre Dame College Northwestern University Oberlin College Pennsylvania State University Polytechnic University-NY Prairie View A&M University Pratt Institute Princeton University Purdue University Queens University Reed College Rutgers University Rice University Seattle University Spelman College Smith College Stanford University Stillman College Southern University St. Joseph's University Talladega College


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Appendix 3: Number of Students in Each Program by Year

Cooperative Research Fellowship Program and AT&T Labs Research Fellowship Program* Student Cohorts by Year 1972-2002 Award Year Number of Awards Award Year Number of Awards Number of Awards* 1972 2 1988 10 1973 3 1989 12 1974 7 1990 15 1975 6 1991 11 1976 7 1992 10 1977 7 1993 9 1978 7 1994 14 1979 6 1995 11 1980 5 1996 6 3 1981 5 1997 7 4 1982 10 1998 8 6 1983 7 1999 6 8 1984 9 2000 8 8 1985 15 2001 5 7 1986 15 2002 6 8 1987 13 Total 262 43*

Graduate Research Fellowship for Women Program Student Cohorts by Year 1974-2002 Award year Number of Awards Award year Number of Awards 1988 12 1989 12 1975 2 1990 7 1976 6 1991 8 1977 8 1992 9 1978 8 1993 7 1979 5 1994 6 1980 7 1995 6 1981 6 1996 5 1982 5 1997 6 1983 5 1998 6 1984 7 1999 7 1985 7 2000 6 1986 9 2001 6 1987 10 2002 5 Total 193


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Appendix 4: Completion Data-- Number of Years to Complete Degree

CRFP Completion Statistics

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Award Year

AWDPHDMSAvYTD


20

Appendix 4: Completion Data-- Number of Years to Complete Degree (Continued)

GRPW Completion Statistics

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Award Year

AWD

PHD

AvYTD


21

at&t labs and lucent bell laboratories ph.d. fellowship...

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