Join us as we remove barriers so the next generation can dedicate their effort to solving the world’s problems.

Pay Equity Working Group is a committee committed to finding effective ways to address the pay gap. Through research, creating resources, and building awareness the working group influences systematic changes at MIT.  Yearly, they examine graduate outcome data, create robust resources for students and graduates to know their rights, and skills to advocate for themselves, and plan for their future careers as they consider ongoing advancement and opportunities.  Additionally, they raise awareness and provide resources based on intersectionality, recognizing the intersectionality of the pay gap problem, which includes ethnicity, sexuality, and parental status. 
 
Funding for this group supports programming and resources including skill-based workshops, guest speakers, and support to increase resources about pay equity and the pay gaps.  

We have partnered with MGH, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, and Brigham & Woman’s Hospital to offer MIT undergraduates the opportunity to engage in a clinical research project during the Jan or summer term. The Clinical Research Exploration Program will award grants to help cover the cost of completing research that helps students explore clinical research as a career path and acquire clinical experience.  Students will support physicians with the execution of clinical (and translational) research projects and gain exposure to clinical care.  

The Clinical Research Program is an exploratory program that helps students decide if they want an MD degree or if they would rather obtain an MD/PhD or PhD before applying to programs. Students explore clinical medicine while also engaging in research.

Career Exploration Fellowship helps currently enrolled MIT undergraduates (first years, sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to MIT for a graduate degree) complete domestic underfunded experiences within the following industry areas: non-profits, creative or design fields, journalism, sustainability, environmental services, or other research opportunities not affiliated with MIT.  These fellowship awards are intended to help offset expenses incurred by completing the experience (ex: living or transportation expenses). 
 
Supporting the Career Exploration Grant will help current students explore fields during their time at MIT in industries that provide limited opportunities. 

The Graduate Student Career Exploration Grant awards a small grant to help graduate students cover the cost of completing a one-month underfunded domestic internship over IAP in a career field they would like to explore further. Example industry areas can include but are not limited to: non-profit, local government, startups, communication, creative fields, education, or sustainability. Since the objective of the grant is to promote career exploration, priority is given to the proposed opportunities that extend beyond the scope of a graduate student’s current academic research trajectory and enable the applicant to make meaningful industry connections. 
 
This is a good opportunity for donors to help out with a significant issue in academia- the need for supporting students who want to have an impact in the world outside of academia. Funds donated will be given to the students as grants.

MIT Research Slam is a competition for MIT PhDs and postdocs that showcases participants’ research communication skills.  Presenters explain their research to a curious, non-specialist audience in less than three minutes, using one slide with no animation, video, or props. This competition format was created by University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 and quickly spread across the globe. Now this competition is offered in more than 200 universities in more than 85 countries of the world.  Each year, MIT’s Research Slam features 3 alumni/industry judges who share their feedback during the live event and ultimately select the winners. In preparation for the event, several offices collaborate to offer helpful workshops on developing and delivering the research story. 
 
The program is public-facing and celebrates innovation and creative ideas in research. The projects have direct real-world applications. The Research Slam is building a recognizable brand and profile, so sponsorship would bring publicity to graduate students and postdocs. Funds contributed would go towards the awardees’ prizes and also the technical production of the event.

“Spilling the Tea” is an ongoing series that is co-organized by CAPD and the MITAA. At these events, an alumna joins a group of women graduate students for tea and candid conversation about a particular theme: women and leadership, women and communication, women and work/life balance, etc. Once the event begins, the organizers withdraw to allow the students and the tea hostess to have an open dialog about the challenges and rewards that come with each topic. The tea hostess may lead the group through a discussion of a scenario, or let the conversation evolve organically. Students have the opportunity to learn directly from an alumna role model who has traveled a similar path and can share her perspective, giving advice on what works and what to avoid.  
 
This would be a good opportunity for alumni to support women graduate students, who are still the minority in most MIT graduate programs. Alumni who believe in the value of mentorship will be interested.  Sponsorship would fund travel expenses for the tea hostess/mentors and the production/advertising of the events. 

2 multi-part certificate programs to provide much needed support to graduate students and postdocs on the topics of mentoring and grant writing.  
 
These two programs make PhDs and postdocs more prepared to have impact in their careers. Mentoring skills will help them lead wherever they go, and grant writing skills will help any organization they go to be able to do more. Donors would be supporting trainees by giving them access to training in areas that are usually underemphasized. 

Our fellowships team supports students applying to the most competitive national and international scholarships, including the Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, and Truman Scholarships. Many of these programs do not pay for the last-minute travel required to attend the finalist interviews, making the cost prohibitive for some highly qualified candidates.  

MIT steps in to support them, but can only provide limited resources. Your gift allows us to meet additional needs of candidates from lower-income backgrounds, such as helping them buy interview attire.  

Partner with us to help our students represent the Institute in the most prestigious merit-based scholarship competitions.