AIP TEAM-UP: A National Initiative to Increase African Americans in Physics & Astronomy

In 2020, The American Institute of Physics released its groundbreaking report, The Time is Now: Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics & Astronomy following a rigorous research study to understand the reasons for the persistent underrepresentation of African American students earning bachelor’s degrees in these fields. In this talk, I will present findings and recommendations from this study; discuss efforts to implement the report’s recommendations among a select group of physics and astronomy departments committed to systemic change; share some findings from a subsequent related study on effects of COVID-19 college closures on Black students; and reveal the next exciting steps for the TEAM-UP project.