Community Research Opportunities
We offer a variety of programs and research opportunities related to diversity and inclusion that serve current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and our surrounding communities. We encourage you to explore them and apply for those that will enrich and elevate your experience at the university.
K-12 Students | Undergraduate Students | Graduate and Postdoctoral Students |Professional Students | Faculty and Staff
BAHEC Summer Scholars program is a partnership between Tufts School of Dental Medicine and Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC). During this 5-week experience, high school students spend one day each week with dental student mentors, learning about issues that affect oral health, engaging in pre-clinical experiences and preparing presentations which they share with high school peers. As they return to school in the fall with greater exposure and interest in oral health, they remain in contact with mentors.
The Tufts chapter of The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) established this scholarship fund to aid young minority premedical and medical students in their pursuit of higher education. The scholarship is named after Ms. Colleen Romain, who has worked at Tufts for more than 30 years and was the first African-American to hold such an administrative position.
Gap Junction is an after-school program for middle school students run by Cummings School student volunteers. Groups of middle school students from surrounding schools are brought to the Cummings School campus one afternoon per week for four weeks. During these afternoon sessions, the student volunteers conduct laboratories to illustrate a variety of subjects, including body systems, diseases and disease treatment. This program has been a success story for STEM education and veterinary school outreach in Central Massachusetts for more than 15 years.
Worcester East Middle School's GEAR UP Program promotes higher education to low-income, first-generation students. Cummings School has hosted the students, providing them with a presentation on careers in veterinary medicine, along with an admissions discussion. In addition, the school's farm staff offered a presentation in order to provide students with an insight into a health professional program/school.
The High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) targets Massachusetts high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research, biotechnology, and the health professions. These students spend several weeks in academic enrichment classes and internships in the health care and science professions. Each year, the group visits Cummings School, where they attend a lecture on possible careers within veterinary medicine followed by a tour of the campus and an admissions information session.
Cummings School has hosted the Red Sox Scholars, a group of academically talented and financially challenged middle school students from the Boston Public Schools. These sixth-grade students spent the day holding lambs, grooming Cummings School's teaching horses, learning about anatomy, gathering rumen contents from Portia, the school's rumen-donor cow and learning the wonders of life on a veterinary school campus.
Teachers and High School Students Program (TAHSS) is a TUSM community outreach program for high school students in the Boston area. The goal of the program Is to expose interested high school students of varied backgrounds to health care and related professions.
The Great Diseases Curriculum aims to bridge the divide between biomedical scientists and high school educators to bring up-to-date science behind health and disease into the high school classroom. Tufts scientists and Boston Public school teachers created this high school curriculum that is now used throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
The program focuses on students in grades K-4 who are educationally disadvantaged due to socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity, with the long-term goal of diversifying the veterinarian-scientist workforce. Veterinarians and veterinary students help kids learn about the breadth of careers in the veterinary profession and how we can prevent and treat health conditions that impact both people and their animals.
Cummings School is a member of the Central Mass STEM Pipeline Network established by the State Board of Education in 2004. The network works to increase student interest and achievement in STEM areas and to promote the successful completion of post-secondary degrees or certificates in STEM subjects. Each year Cummings School faculty participate in Innovation Month in the Worcester Public Schools providing interactive veterinary presentations that bridge medicine and engineering to 7th graders in their classrooms and at special symposia and science fairs.
Tufts at Tech is the first and only veterinary teaching clinic of its type in the country. Tufts at Tech provides a teaching environment that empowers students to change the lives of their clients through treatment of their animals by providing high-quality care that otherwise they could not afford.
BEAST is a four-day pre-orientation program that focuses on the unique social and cultural experiences of those who may be the first in their families to attend college, come from low-income households, or have undocumented status. It helps these students navigate financial and academic resources at Tufts.
The BEST program helps selected incoming engineering students make the transition from high school to college. While it’s a six-week summer bridge session, it fosters a rewarding four-year college experience—one in which the center for STEM Diversity is viewed as a home away from home.
The purpose of the BLAST program is to support students who may be the first in their family to attend a four-year college. It’s a residential six-week summer session that prepares them for a rigorous college curriculum and orientation to Tufts culture not only to provide for a successful transition, but to instill lifelong leadership values.
The Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences Program (BDBS) is a mentored, 10-week research intensive experience for undergraduates who are interested in pursuing PhD or MD/PhD training. A goal of the program is to ensure that future biomedical leaders reflect the diverse profile of citizens of the United States.
To promote dentistry as a career for students underrepresented in the profession, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine(TUSDM) has many initiatives and partnerships, one of which is the Increasing Diversity in Dentistry (IDID) Pipeline program. It assists applicants in becoming more competitive and better prepared for dental school.
Tufts is a member of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), a national program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal is to strengthen the preparation, representation, and success of historically underrepresented students in the science and engineering fields.
Through on-camera interviews and interactive conversations, current students share insights and reflections on their student experiences at Tufts. Incoming students watch #MyTufts together during Orientation week to find out how their peers have made Tufts their own, and how they can begin to do the same. #MyTufts is co-presented by the Africana Center, Asian American Center, Campus Life, Digital Collections and Archives, International Center, Latino Center, LGBT Center, Office of the Provost, Residential Life, University Chaplaincy, and the Women’s Center.
Questbridge is a non-profit organization that connects the nation’s high-achieving, low-income students with leading colleges and universities. As a Questbridge partner school since 2012, Tufts provides financial and social support to scholars throughout their college journey.
STEM Ambassadors is a professional development program with an outreach mission for Tufts’ School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering. The goal is to share our passion for the STEM fields with local middle and high school students, prospective students of Tufts, and the greater Tufts community.
SQUAD is a four-day student-led program committed to fostering and celebrating relationships within the African Diaspora. It’s mission is to help students navigate African-diaspora challenges on campus and in their lives.
The Leadership Alliance helps underrepresented students become leaders and role models in academia, business, and the public sector. It’s grown to more than 30 institutions and private industry who have provided research and networking experiences to more than 4,000 young scholars. One such experience is the Summer Research-Early Identification Program (SR-EIP),a fully paid summer scholarship that provides undergraduates with training and mentoring.
The TUSM/UMass Boston Enrichment Program opens up the opportunity for 24 UMass Boston pre-medical and pre-research students to spend three weeks at TUSM as part of an enrichment program designed to introduce future doctors and scholars to teamwork inherent in medical problem-solving.
The Visiting and Early Research Scholar Experience Program (VERSE) is one of many opportunities for undergraduate students at Tufts to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the real world. Specifically, VERSE is a 10-week summer research program targeted toward low-income students of color, primarily in the fields of biology, mathematics, psychology, education, and child study and human development. It aims to connect students to faculty mentors with active research labs and build students’ confidence to conduct their own research in the future.
Tufts partners with AmeriCorps, a civic engagement program that places committed volunteers in immersive service placements in schools, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the United States. The university offers an application fee waiver to current and former volunteers applying to programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and/or School of Engineering.
With National Institute of Health funding aimed at increasing the number of future researchers from under-represented groups, The Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)offers five apprenticeships each year at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Science.
City Year is a volunteer program that bridges the gap in high-poverty communities between support that students need and what their schools are resourced to provide. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences upholds City Year’s culture and values through a partnership that aims to bring leaders with experience working in diverse settings to the Tufts campus.
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership is an interdisciplinary master’s program that will teach students theories and practical tools to become strong, informed, skilled leaders in the endeavor to help create more inclusive organizations. This program is inspired in part by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).
The Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) is dedicated to empowering talented but underserved and underrepresented students who aspire to be leaders in American education. By developing these students into innovative and positive role models, they will be the much- needed voices of advocacy for greater changes in our education system.
Tufts University School of Medicine’s Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) seeks to cultivate diversity and increase points of access. This rigorous MS degree experience is for any pre-professional students looking to strengthen their academic credentials before applying to the health sciences schools.
The McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded educational opportunity outreach program designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral level study and research. McNair Scholars tend to be first-generation students with financial need or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education who show bright academic promise.
Tufts is a member of the National GEM Consortium, a competitive fellowship program that supports graduate fellows with stipends, summer employment, and paid graduate school costs. It provides students from underrepresented communities the opportunity to connect with leading corporations, government labs, and top universities at the master’s and doctoral levels in applied science and engineering.
Philosophy in an Inclusive Key (PIKSI) supports undergraduate students from underrepresented communities, such as women and people of color, in their pursuit of graduate study in philosophy. It offers workshops and summer institute opportunities sponsored by faculty at leading institutions and organizations in the field.
With National Institute of Health funding aimed at increasing the number of future researchers from under-represented groups, The Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)offers five apprenticeships each year at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Science.
Tufts partners with Teach For America (TFA), a nonprofit organization that recruits recent college graduates from leading universities to teach for two years in under-resourced urban or rural schools. The university waives the application fee to TFA volunteers or alumni applying to programs at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering.
The Training in Education and Critical Research Skills (TEACRS) Program at Tufts provides gifted postdoctoral scholars with the skills needed to succeed in balancing their research with teaching at the undergraduate level. Based at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, it draws researchers from across the university together to train the next generation of academic faculty.
The Prematriculation Summer Program (PSP) is a four-week introduction to orient and prepare medical students for the first-year curriculum. In addition to coursework, they will have an opportunity to participate in the Sharewood Project—a student-run program that offers medical services to the medically under-insured.
Rocket Science and other Experiences is a pre-matriculation program designed to ease the transition from undergraduate and graduate programs, into dental school. This program offers an introduction to Biochemistry, Head and Neck Anatomy, Dental Anatomy, Ethics and Professionalism, Cultural Competency, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Effective Learning Strategies and Study skills, and Pre-clinical exposure. Students engage in several social activities during this enrichment experience, and receive no credit toward the actual classes. Participation is limited.
Research suggests that, despite our best intentions, our thoughts, decisions, and actions often show signs of bias. Attracting and hiring diverse talent requires a heightened awareness of implicit bias in the selection process. One of the many training programs and learning development resources Tufts offers staff focuses on bringing a greater level of objectivity to this important context.
Through interactive workshops, discussions, and engaging activities, this four-day institute will provide participants with foundational skills and strategies to foster an inclusive classroom environment and promote enhanced learning for all students in their classes.
Innovations in Diversity Education Awards (IDEAS) is an intramural grant program that helps faculty members pursuing scholarly and innovative work in the areas of workforce diversity, health care disparity, and promoting cultural competency among students and trainees.
The Men of Color Leadership Conference, one of Color Magazine’s four signature annual events, engages corporate America’s most influential men. It is where top-tier executive leaders of color share their experiences and insight. The conference is one of few focused on men from multicultural backgrounds, bringing them together for a day of inspiration, networking, and success stories.
Tufts is a member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), a national organization that supports faculty through intensive mentoring programs, writing support, webinars, on-campus workshops, and professional development training. It is an organization dedicated to supporting academics throughout their careers.
Color Magazine serves as a thought leader among professional women. The Women of Color Leadership and Empowerment Conference (WOC), held annually, engages and connects the nation’s most vibrant, influential, and diverse women. With renowned panel discussions, it facilitates a dialogue between recognized executive women leaders who are paving the way for professional empowerment.
Tufts is a member of the Boston-wide Women of Color Advisory Committee, which is composed of faculty and staff from local universities such as Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, and Wellesley. The committee meets monthly and plans initiatives including an annual conference, quarterly gatherings, and an exploration of an online space to connect Women of Color faculty.