Pathways News

The NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences will host its third Pathways to AI Program from June 24 – August 2, 2024. The program, geared toward first-year students and sophomores who plan on majoring in computer science, or any other field in which AI plays a significant role, provides six weeks of minicourses including Python, Tools for AI, Math for AI, and Big Ideas in AI. Students also participate in several research lab rotations and learn about ongoing research projects directly from faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Participants receive a $4000 stipend plus travel expenses. Those who successfully complete the program will be invited to work on a research project with a faculty member during the Fall 2024 academic term.

A new study led by Mike Hoa Nguyen, assistant professor of education at NYU Steinhardt, and published in The Review of Higher Education shows how Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) programs expand students’ capacities through culturally relevant coursework, mentorship, research, and civic engagement. The study also dispels the myth that Asian Americans are part of a “monolithic group with unparalleled success in academics.”

A new study by João M. Souto-Maior, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Steinhardt, and Ravi Shroff, associate professor of applied statistics at NYU Steinhardt, examined why 24% of White students in New York City high schools enroll in at least one AP mathematics course by the end of high school versus only 13% of Black students. Previous studies have suggested that enrollment disparities are due to differences in academic preparedness defined according to grades, standardized test scores, and course taking patterns. Souto-Maior and Shroff explain why these variables are inadequate indicators, and suggest their own definition of academic preparedness. They hope that their findings, published in Sociological Science, will “inform policies, like targeted outreach to students and parents, that can mitigate persistent racial gaps in AP course-taking,” says Shroff.

CFA is proud to celebrate James Weldon Johnson, NYU’s first Black faculty member. We honor him today and every day by supporting the James Weldon Johnson Professorship and the faculty who continue his legacy and devotion to education and social justice. Perhaps best known for writing the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often called the Black National Anthem, Johnson was also one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, and truly a Renaissance man. His vocations and passions included civil rights activist, poet, lawyer, politician, writer, and educator. Read more about his remarkable life!

Talia Scott founded the non-profit Legally BLK Fund in 2020 to help Black women with fees for law school, and the LSAT, and to provide access to consulting services and mentorships. Scott, 26, a dual degree law and business student at NYU, explained, “I wanted to help other Black women have an easier, better experience than I had.” Given all that she’s juggling, Scott doesn’t get much sleep, but, as the first person in her family to go to college she’s happy to give up sleep for now to achieve her dreams, “Most people are like, ‘It’s crazy you’re doing all of this,’ but they’re not surprised knowing who I am. I’m surpassing society’s expectations of me.”

Established in 2015, the NYU Prison Education Program (PEP) at Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York serves 50–60 incarcerated people enrolled in college courses each year. Until this year, students were able to earn an associate degree in Liberal Studies from the university, but in October 2023, President Mills announced that students were able to earn a bachelor’s degree. PEP students who transfer to NYU receive tutoring, mentorship, and professional development support. The program also provides housing, personal wellness, and relationship support to people after incarceration.

NYU Tandon Industry Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Nialah Wilson-Small is among a group of Black technology innovators featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2024. Wilson-Small creates algorithms and uses touch to expand robots’ utility to humans as assistive devices. Among other applications, her research aims to assist with search and rescue, emergency evacuation situations, and workplace human-robot collaboration.

Charlton McIlwain, vice provost for faculty development, pathways, and public interest technology, set out to reimagine how CFA could give faculty the chance to effect change both at NYU and across New York City. The effort has yielded, among other successes, several pathway programs including the College & Career Lab, which currently provides more than 200 NYC middle and high school students a chance to experience classes, workshops, and professional development at NYU. Faculty First-Look is an initiative that enables gifted scholars of color, and others underrepresented in the academy completing their PhD, EdD, or other terminal degrees, to learn what it takes to prepare for scholarly careers. And the Early Career Faculty Institute is one of several NYU programs offering resources and mentorship to foster faculty success and retention.