[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-333850-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-333850-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","naming-the-smd-bridge-program-a-white-paper","Naming the SMD Bridge Program - A White Paper","","NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) initiated the NASA SMD Bridge Program to increase participation of historically underrepresented institutions and communities in NASA’s mission. The program’s purpose is to build enduring partnerships among these institutions, research-intensive universities, and NASA centers. Stakeholders expressed concerns that the term “Bridge” may stigmatize students and mislead applicants, prompting this white paper to argue for a name change better reflecting the initiative’s mission and addressing those concerns.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/naming-the-smd-bridge-program-a-white-paper/333850/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/naming-the-smd-bridge-program-a-white-paper/333850.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aurelia","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-27","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the NASA SMD Bridge Program intended to achieve?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It aims to enhance participation of historically underrepresented institutions and communities in NASA’s mission by establishing enduring partnerships among those institutions, research-intensive universities, and NASA centers.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Why do stakeholders worry about using the word “Bridge” in the program name?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"They believe it could stigmatize students, give the term negative connotations, and mislead applicants about what the program is actually focused on.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How did the BPWOC study the issues related to the program title?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The BPWOC organized a week-long workshop and raised concerns about using “Bridge,” then formed a subcommittee to investigate the impact of the term in the program’s title.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},333850,1790463071,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":125},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":55,"preview_page_count":4},1099514068365,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/10000253d8d9f28188e?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1794309523707217728","Naming the SMD Bridge Program – A White Paper  \nCarl A. Moore Jr1 . , Jesús Pando2  \n1 Department of Mechanical Engineering  \nFlorida A&M University  \n2 Department of Physics and Astrophysics  \nDePaul University  \nABSTRACT  \nNASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has initiated a program to enhance the participation of historically underrepresented institutions and communities in NASA's mission. Currently known as the NASA SMD Bridge Program, its goal is to establish enduring partnerships among these institutions, research-intensive universities, and NASA centers. There are concerns about using“Bridge” in the program's name, with stakeholders suggesting that it might stigmatize students and mislead applicants about its focus. In this white paper, we address these concerns and conclude that a name change that better reflects the mission of this new SMD effort is necessary to address these concerns.  \nI. Introduction  \nTraditionally, an educational Bridge is a program that assists students in transitioning to a higher academic level. Different Bridge programs operate with distinct goals and initiatives. However, most aim to provide opportunities such as fellowships, research experience, common applications, and funding to marginalized communities. Some Bridge programs offer supplemental educational and emotional support to students from low-income families to help them successfully navigate the college experience 1 . Another type of Bridge program is a summer experience designed to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success by providing students with the academic skills and social resources needed to thrive in a college environment2 .  \nNASA's Science Mission Directorate has launched a new initiative aimed at improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) within the NASA workforce and the broader U.S. science and engineering communities. The initiative, currently called the NASA SMD Bridge Program, aims to foster sustainable partnerships between institutions that have historically been under-resourced by NASA, such as Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), Primarily Black Institutions (PBIs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Community Colleges, and highly research-intensive universities and NASA Centers or Facilities3.  \nThe SMD established a Bridge Program Workshop Organizing Committee (BPWOC) to gather ideas and suggestions from the community stakeholders on what the SMD Bridge Program Announcement of Opportunity (AO) should include. The BPWOC conducted a week-long workshop that raised two concerns about using the word “Bridge.” These concerns and many other guiding themes and perspectives that shape the program are documented in the report, which is publicly available on the BPWOC report website 4 . Firstly, some participants highlighted that traditional bridge programs have negative connotations as they focus on students'weaknesses rather than strengths. Second, many noted that the goals of traditional bridge programs do not capture the spirit of the SMD program. To address these concerns, the BPWOC formed a subcommittee to investigate the impact of \"Bridge\" in the program's title.  \nConcern I—Stigmatization of Students  \nThe subcommittee interviewed Arlene Modeste Knowles, the TEAM-UP Diversity Task Force Project Manager at the American Institute of Physics, who is knowledgeable about bridge programs in physics and astronomy. The conversation confirmed that bridge programs have successfully graduated students of color. The published literature on Summer Bridge and Bridge to the PhD programs supports this conclusion 5,6 . However, some program graduates reported feeling like second-class citizens because their program separated them from or placed them on a different path than the traditionally accepted graduate students. Additionally","cbCaioKWR4oo2xAj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioKWR4oo2xAj","pdf",66953,"English","# Abstract\n# I. Introduction\n## Concern I—Stigmatization of Students\n## Concern II—Scope of the Program","[{\"question\":\"What is the NASA SMD Bridge Program intended to achieve?\",\"answer\":\"It aims to enhance participation of historically underrepresented institutions and communities in NASA’s mission by establishing enduring partnerships among those institutions, research-intensive universities, and NASA centers.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do stakeholders worry about using the word “Bridge” in the program name?\",\"answer\":\"They believe it could stigmatize students, give the term negative connotations, and mislead applicants about what the program is actually focused on.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the BPWOC study the issues related to the program title?\",\"answer\":\"The BPWOC organized a week-long workshop and raised concerns about using “Bridge,” then formed a subcommittee to investigate the impact of the term in the program’s title.\"}]","Naming the SMD Bridge Program - A White Paper | PDF",1790004328]