FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 16, 2020

Genentech Foundation provides $3 million grant to ACS Bridge Project

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2020 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) has received a $3.015 million grant from the Genentech Foundation to support the ACS Bridge Project through 2023. The project aims to boost the fraction of students from underrepresented minority groups earning chemistry-related Ph.D.s to match the fraction of those in these groups who currently receive bachelor’s degrees in the field.

The Genentech Foundation’s grant will support new ACS Bridge Fellows, students from underrepresented groups pursuing advanced degrees in chemical sciences, and ACS Bridge Sites, university departments that have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion. It will also fund new resources for the project, including professional development boot camps for undergraduate students and career workshops and conferences for graduate students and postdocs. In addition, the grant will support a new online learning and networking platform and a full-time postdoctoral researcher who will help ACS evaluate the project.

“ACS is grateful to the Genentech Foundation for its generous gift that will help us advance both the chemical sciences and the chemists of the future,” says LaTrease Garrison, executive vice president, ACS Education Division. “Diversity, inclusion and respect are core values of ACS, and this program is another important addition to our overall efforts to create opportunities for students from all backgrounds.”

These resources will help ACS develop, document and share sustainable practices that improve access to graduate education for all students, especially those in groups that are underrepresented in chemical science doctoral programs.

“The ACS Bridge Project helps unlock the potential of rising scientists who are the future of biomedical research,” said Carla Boragno, Genentech Foundation board chair and senior vice president and global head of engineering and facilities, Genentech and Roche. “We are proud to partner with the American Chemical Society to help dismantle barriers preventing underrepresented students from pursuing careers in science and medicine.”

Launched in 2018 with a $2.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the ACS Bridge Project is part of the Inclusive Graduate Education Network, a national alliance of five scientific societies aimed at increasing participation of women and underrepresented minorities in graduate education in the physical sciences. The alliance is being led by the American Physical Society and includes the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society and the Materials Research Society, as well as ACS.

About the Genentech Foundation
Guided by the vision of a future where health and prosperity are accessible to all, the Genentech Foundation works to unlock access to educational and career pathways in the life sciences and medicine. The U.S.-based, private charitable foundation was established in 2002 by Genentech, a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat people with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For further information, please visit https://www.gene.com/good/giving/genentech-foundation.

About ACS
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder® and STN®), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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