Spelman College has a strong record of educating African-American women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. On average, during the past five years, 34 percent of the College’s student body pursued majors in biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, physics, environmental science or engineering (dual degree program), and 25 percent of graduates received degrees in STEM disciplines.
The College employs 54 full-time faculty in the STEM departments and programs, of which 83 percent are racial/ethnic minorities and 52 percent are women. Of the 28 women faculty members, 64 percent are African-American. This represents an exceptional diversity while providing a support system of role models for our students. This diversity of research active STEM faculty is rare, providing a uniquely supportive undergraduate science training environment for female students of color.
Spelman has engaged in a sustained effort to build an exemplary undergraduate science program that responds to strong student interest in modern science and technology training. Infrastructural developments in the past decade reflect the institution’s strong commitment to building the research active environment necessary to sustain innovative science curricular and training resources on par with other Carnegie Baccalaureate institutions.
In 2001, Spelman College completed construction of the $34 million Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center, a 154,000 square foot training facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to support comprehensive STEM research and training. The current research infrastructure includes the Office of Research Resources, the Office of Sponsored Programs, Internal Evaluation Services, the Institutional Review Board, and the Office of Institutional Research Assessment and Planning.
Spelman also has an established practice of faculty-mentored student research in the STEM disciplines. Student research is supported through a number of programs on campus, including the RISE training program in biomedical science, the G-STEM program, and the MARC-U*STAR program awarded by NIGMS/MORE to the Atlanta University Center Consortium institutions (of which Spelman is a member).