BUMP Biology

The BUMP Biology program is an undergraduate mentorship program that helps undergraduates in the biological sciences navigate careers in academic STEM research and medicine, and provides modest, need-based, stipends that make initial research lab experiences financially feasible. The doctoral students participating in BUMP Biology as mentors also gain experience that will be of great value to them as they pursue their further careers.

Mission

Why BUMP? Academic and professional networks, both formal and informal, play a key role in educational and career trajectories within the biomedical sciences and are critical for success in STEM fields. Facilitating access to undergraduate research experiences at Columbia University through one-on-one mentorship and guidance by peers and near-peers in particular has great potential for maximizing undergraduate student participation in STEM majors and career paths.
BUMP Biology was originally conceived as the Black Undergraduate Mentorship Program, which in 2020 emerged from a collaboration between an undergraduate student group project in the Research Cluster on Science and Subjectivity in Columbia’s Center for Science and Society, the Black Alumni Council at Columbia University, and a grassroots group named Biology Trainees Against Exclusion made up of graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates in the Department of Biological Sciences.
The program was first awarded a Provost Seed Grant on Addressing Racism, and subsequently a multi-year grant from the Graduate Equity Initiative (GEI) of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, as well as support from the Simons Foundation. Most recently, the coordination of the program became a role in the Fellowships in Academic Administration (FAA) program that PhD students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences can apply for.
As BUMP Biology has evolved, it continues to stay true to its mission to facilitate access to research experiences and give students from historically underprivileged populations a “bump” in mentorship and a sense of connectedness to the research community at Columbia that will benefit their academic and professional careers.
All applicants to BUMP Biology will be provided with mentorship and have access to all events organized by the program. Students will be considered for stipend support on an individual basis, with special consideration given to those applicants who: (i) are the first in their family to attend college; and/or (ii) have, either as a result of their socio-economic background, or challenging life experiences, overcome substantial obstacles on their journey to graduate school; and/or (iii) have lived or worked in a diverse environment; and/or (iv) have, through their education or work experience, demonstrated a commitment to serving historically underprivileged populations and/or the academic study of historically underrepresented populations..