DEI Undergraduate Resources

Undergraduate Opportunities

Below are some opportunities available to help support and celebrate our undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. If you notice any opportunities that are missing from this list, please let us know at chbe-comms@illinois.edu

Academic Redshirt in Science and Engineering

The Academic Redshirt in Science and Engineering (ARISE) Scholars program prepares talented students from the state of Illinois to succeed in Engineering at Illinois. Up to 25 students are named ARISE scholars every year, giving them an extra year to get ready for traditional first-year courses. The program includes a customized curriculum, individual faculty mentors, tutoring, and career services.

Chemical Science through Community (C²)

The goal of the C² program is to foster excellence in chemical sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Graduate and undergraduate Chemistry and Chemical Engineering majors from underrepresented groups (African American, LatinX, and Native American) are encouraged to participate. By partnering with graduate student mentors and engaging in monthly networking and professional development events, C2  brings together faculty and students from the School of Chemical Sciences to build a community of scholars in which diversity and excellence thrive. Monthly professional development workshops and networking events are combined with one-on-one peer mentorship, and student affiliates are also eligible to apply for Summer Research Scholarships sponsored by the 3M Corporation and competitive Travel Awards to present their research at national conferences for organizations such as the National Organization for Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), Society for Advancing Chinos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science(SACNAS), and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).

Clare Boothe Luce Program

The Claire Boothe Luce (CBL) program aims to support women undergraduates seeking to study or teach science, mathematics, and/or engineering, creating a pathway to graduate studies. Each year, eight women undergraduates are selected to take part in the Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research program and work closely with a faculty sponsor/graduate student mentor on research projects. 

The Future of Discovery: Training Students to Build and Apply Open Source Machine Learning Models and Tools (FoDOMMaT)

FoDOMMaT is a 10-week training experience in machine learning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in which students will work on developing open-source machine learning models and tools and applying them to solving real-world problems.

Morrill Engineering Program

The mission of the Morrill Engineering Program is to empower African American, Hispanic, and Native American engineering students, support their success as scholars, and enable them to leverage a community of students, staff, and alumni to achieve excellence in engineering. The MEP program hosts a variety of activities throughout the year to enhance the student experience.