NextGenPop (Next Generation of Scholars in Population Research) offers undergraduates an on-campus research training experience over the summer, virtual research and professional development workshops throughout the academic year, and varied opportunities for mentoring and networking with population scholars and practitioners from across the United States. The summer 2022 program will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Over the next five years, NextGenPop will be successively hosted by University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell University, Duke University, University of California, Irvine, and University of Minnesota. Sites will share a common core curriculum on population perspectives, research methods, and professional development. Each site will also feature a signature theme that reflects their cutting-edge research and expertise.
Who should apply?
The program targets exceptional undergraduate students who are thinking about graduate school in the social sciences and would like to explore population-related research interests. Students from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. The program is especially targeted to students who have just completed their junior year, but we will also consider those who have just completed their sophomore or senior year.
How does the program work?
The program hosts 15 undergraduate students (“NGP Fellows”) for 2 weeks during the summer and introduces them to population research through classroom instruction and hands-on applications that address contemporary social issues, including race and income inequalities, health disparities, immigration, and family change.
Following the summer program and throughout the academic year, NGP Fellows participate in monthly virtual workshops on research and professional development. In the spring, they are given the opportunity to present research, meet with population scholars and practitioners, and reconnect with their NGP cohort at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA).
NGP Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend for participation in the summer residential program. NextGenPop pays for room, board, and travel expenses associated with the summer program and offers travel support to the PAA Annual Meeting.
Learn more on the program website.
MPC Faculty Member Participants:
- Rob Warren
- Rachel Hardeman
- Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
- Ann Meier
NextGenPop at the University of Minnesota -- Understanding Structural Racism and Health
Participants will engage with the topic of structural racism and health disparities. For example, sessions will highlight health implications of structural racism in neighborhoods, health care systems, education and the criminal legal system. NextGenPop scholars will leverage the rich collection of census and survey data and state-of-the art digital tools at UMN to illuminate systematic racism through data visualization. Sessions will pair a UMN faculty expert with a representative from a community organization working for change to dismantle racism and health disparities.
Funding comes from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R25 HD105602, PIs Marcy Carlson and Kelly Musick).