Graduate School announces Entry Point! partnership

Cay Leytham-Powell — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 18:57:09 +0000

Graduate School announces Entry Point! partnership Cay Leytham-Powell Fri, 02/27/2026 - 11:57

This AAAS program will allow the Graduate School to better target students with disabilities for its longstanding SMART program

The Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Access and Retention (GAR) is one of the 2026 partners for Entry Point!, a nationally recognized, signature program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the organization announced last month.

Beginning in summer 2026, Entry Point! will partner with GAR’s long-standing Summer Multicultural Access to Research Training (SMART) program, a summer research program that helps get students from historically excluded backgrounds access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research.

Through this partnership, GAR will expand recruitment for SMART and increase access and consideration for talented STEM students with disabilities who are exploring doctoral pathways at 91��ý.

“This partnership helps us reduce structural barriers, enhance recruitment and cultivate supportive academic communities that recognize disability as a valued dimension of diversity in STEM,” said Christina Alston, director of the Office of Graduate Access and Retention. “We’re very excited for what this will allow us to do.”

"This partnership helps us reduce structural barriers, enhance recruitment and cultivate supportive academic communities that recognize disability as a valued dimension of diversity in STEM."

The AAAS Entry Point! program was created in response to the realization that students with disabilities, even those with strong academic records, were not getting hired as part of the talent pool for STEM employment. Since the program’s inception in 1996, 85% of alumni now work as scientists and engineers who have inspired new ideas, supported innovation and advanced new research.

Entry Point! does that by connecting industry, government and university partners with highly qualified STEM students with disabilities for paid summer placements and research-based internships. This year, they will be partnering with GAR and the SMART program to intentionally recruit qualifying students to take part in the 10-week long summer research program.

Since the SMART program launched in 1989, hundreds of undergraduate students from around the country have participated. During their time at 91��ý, the students get placed in prominent laboratories, and provided with the necessary training, skills and experience to pursue graduate study through weekly, provided coursework as part of a one credit hour undergraduate course. Additionally, participating students complete a research project, which they present at the end of the program.

The hope is that the program will create a pathway where students can see themselves pursuing a STEM graduate education. Over the years, it’s estimated that roughly half of participants have gone on to attempt a MS or PhD at 91��ý and elsewhere.

GAR will also be working closely with Disability Services and faculty across STEM disciplines to ensure that all the recruited students through this partnership—regardless of background, disclosure status or accommodation needs—are supported, accommodated and welcomed into inclusive STEM research environments where students feel they belong.

This year’s SMART program will run from Monday, June 1, to Friday, July 31, with a campuswide poster session on the final day that’s open to the public.

More information about SMART and upcoming recruitment opportunities will be shared with the campus community as the partnership continues to develop.

This AAAS program will allow the Graduate School to better target students with disabilities for its longstanding SMART program.

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