National Physical Science Consortium

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is an active participant in the National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC), a network of universities, national laboratories, and private industries united to increase the number of available scholarships and broaden career paths for graduate students in the physical sciences.

The Laboratory is currently supporting nine students in many fields of science and technology. The University Relations Program (URP) coordinates the Laboratory’s participation in the NPSC, including placing students at LLNL.

Though open to all qualified applicants, the NPSC places primary emphasis on recruiting women and under-represented minorities (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Eskimo, Aleut, and Pacific Islander).

Strengthening diversity among U.S. scientists and engineers is more than a worthy goal; it is an imperative. The United States has long led the world in advancing the physical sciences. But, if we are to continue competing on a global scale, we must be able to train and recruit a diverse pool of qualified scientists. This is important because even while the population of historically under-represented minorities in the United States has grown significantly, the number of U.S.- born physical scientists, both in industry and in academia, has fallen.

• Of all physical sciences Ph.D.s granted in 1998, only 54% went to U.S. citizens.
• Of the nearly 6,000 engineering degrees granted, only 43% went to U.S. citizens.
• Of all U.S. citizens granted Ph.D.s in the sciences and related engineering fields, women accounted for only 37%, and only 17% were African American, Hispanics, or Native Americans.

A national task force formed a few years ago addressed the growing national shortage of minorities and women in the physical sciences. The task force recommended establishing the NPSC, which was incorporated as a non-profit organization in California in December 1987. The National Science Foundation (NSF), LLNL, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided the organization’s initial funding. The NPSC is now self-supporting, funded by annual membership fees received from employer members.

The consortium currently consists of 125 colleges and universities and 40 sponsoring employers, including alliances with the Navajo Nation and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). The NPSC Headquarters Office is on the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles and the Student Recruitment Office is located at New Mexico State University.

NPSC offers a unique combination of substantial financial aid, quality research experience and effective mentoring. The mentoring system offers the opportunity for individuals to network with leading researchers, universities, employers, and other NPSC Fellows. The consortium granted its first fellowship awards in 1989 to seven students. As of 2002, the program has had 98 Ph.D. graduates from a total of 300 Fellows. There are presently 80 Fellows in the program, 72% of whom are female. Forty-seven percent of Fellows are minority and 53% non-minorities. NPSC currently has an 87% retention rate of its Fellows. LLNL participation in the NPSC in FY 2002-2003 is listed in the table on the back of this page.

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