The LINCS (Living and Learning in an Interdisciplinary Networked Community of STEM Scholars) Program was launched at Spelman College in Fall 2015. Formerly known as a Living and Learning Community (L2C) for Biomedical Scholars, the LINCS Scholars Program in short, was designed to prepare women of African descent for careers in the biomedical sciences by creating cohorts of STEM scholars, with strong and lasting bonds, who would move together up the academic and career ladder.
LINCS Scholars are two-year cohorts of women scientists at Spelman College, who aspire to become leaders in STEM who are able to contribute dynamic science and perspective to a growing field. Most of our LINCS Scholars reside in Laura Spelman Residence Hall, a social justice dorm on Spelman’s campus.
Amidst the current global health crisis, the essence of the LINCS Scholars Program will be virtual in Fall 2020 and has been reformatted to ensure that our scholars are safe, engaged, and feel connected to our interdisciplinary networked community while remaining steadfast in the program’s goal.
The LINCS Scholars Program at Spelman is led and directed by Dr. Kimberly Jackson, chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry, associate professor, and director of the Food Studies Program, and Dr. Mentewab Ayalew, vice chair of biology and associate professor.
Our Goals
Our program’s goal is to improve access to STEM careers for women of color through intentional professional development and social justice empowerment, while addressing the critical need for a diverse and talented STEM workforce. The aim of the LINCS Scholars Program is accomplished through the establishment of a Living and Learning Community of scholars with signature programmatic activities that provide:
- mentoring and development sessions;
- enable the scholars to leverage peer-peer and peer-outside networks;
- help the scholars understand and navigate higher education as a Black woman in science.