NSF COVID DEI Challenge

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Taking Action: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge asked two- and four-year colleges to submit their best ideas for systemic solutions to mitigating long-term impacts from the pandemic on DEI in STEM. Entries could be initiatives or ideas aimed at undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral students, or STEM faculty.   

From a competitive field of entries, NSF awarded top cash prizes to the following: Laredo Community College, TX; Fort Lewis College, CO; University of Missouri, MO; and Indiana University-Purdue University, IN.

Winning challenge participants shared interventions, such as launching a graduate student well-being program, providing accessible and free WiFi connectivity on and near campus, and shifting institutional policies to automatically grant tenure clock extensions to faculty. Please read below to learn more about the winners and honorable mentions, and to watch recordings from the NSF-hosted showcase webinars and download presentation slides from the events. Congratulations to all!


Jump to Full List of Winners and Honorable Mentions:

Two-year STEM Undergraduate Category
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Four-year STEM Undergraduate Category
STEM Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Category
STEM Faculty Category
Two-Year STEM Undergraduate Honorable Mentions
Four-Year STEM Undergraduate Honorable Mentions

Nevada State College, NV

The Ohio State University, OH

University of Notre Dame, IN

STEM Faculty Honorable Mentions

Spelman College, GA

Texas A&M University, TX

Villanova University, PA