National Science Foundation Selects Recipients of the 2022 CSGrad4US Fellowship Program


 By Erik Russell, CRA Director of Programs

The National Science Foundation recently selected sixty-nine recipients of the 2022 CSGrad4US Fellowship Program. The objective of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Graduate Fellowships (CSGrad4US) is to increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields: computer science, computer engineering, or information science. CSGrad4US recipients will participate in the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program organized by the Computing Research Association with funding provided by the National Science Foundation through award #2231962. 

The goals of the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program are:

  1. To guide returning students through the application process toward a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection.
  2. To mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during their first year in order to support their success as a student and to help position them to achieve their long-term career goals.

Specific topics include the admissions process, preparation of all components of a strong graduate application, differences between graduate programs at different institutions, how to compare programs with respect to their goals and background, and general guidelines on making a selection among admission acceptances.

The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program will provide not only general graduate application advice and guidance, but also provide a larger context and network to students returning from the workforce.  These goals are achieved through group mentoring sessions followed by individual coaching during the application and decision-making process and their first year in graduate school.

Beginning in early-September, the sixty-nine individuals in the 2022 CSGrad4US Cohort will be mentored by 22 computing researchers from academia and industry who will serve as coaches, with additional guidance provided by area advisers, coaching coordinators, and the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program Leadership Team.

The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program Leadership Team is comprised of Program Leaders: Susanne Hambrusch, Professor, Purdue University, Russ Joseph, Associate Professor, Northwestern University, Lori Pollock, Professor, University of Delaware, Kelly Shaw, Associate Professor, Williams College, Coaching Coordinators: Dorian Arnold, Associate Professor, Emory University, Lori Clarke, Emerita Professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Maria Gini, Professor, University of Minnesota, CRA Staff: Kristi Kelly, Senior Research Associate, Computing Research Association, Lauren Lashlee, Program Associate, Computing Research Association, and Erik Russell, Director of Programs, Computing Research Association.