As part of the I School’s ongoing commitment to recruiting and supporting underrepresented students, we’re excited to announce our membership in the iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3).
i3 is an undergraduate research and leadership program based at the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. Berkeley joins other academic partners, including the University of Michigan, UNC, and Carnegie Mellon.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the School of Information at UC Berkeley and their graduate programs,” said Kayla Booth, Director of i3. “We look forward to working collaboratively towards our shared goals of addressing underrepresentation in the iSchools and building equity and inclusion in the information sciences.”
Each year, 25 students from across the United States are selected to become i3 Scholars, where they embark on a yearlong experience. The program opens with a four-week summer session of workshops where participants explore research areas in information sciences, attend professional development workshops led by industry leaders, connect with mentors and form teams for research projects.
Students then return home, where teams spend the year working remotely on their research projects, returning to Pittsburgh the following summer, where they present their projects, finalize papers for publication, attend a poster session and network with the incoming i3 cohort.
“Joining the i3 will allow us to connect with some of the best iSchool talent from across the country at an early stage in their career path,” said Jenna Burrell, the I School’s faculty equity advisor. “Attracting students from groups that have been historically marginalized from higher education and from tech-related industries continues to be an important goal of our program.”
The program serves as a pipeline into distinguished information schools across the country: students who complete the program and obtain admittance to member schools are offered fellowships.
“We want a wide variety of perspectives in our classes, on our research teams, and in our community.”
“In these disrupted times, it’s more important than ever that we welcome and support students from underrepresented backgrounds at the I School,” said Dean of the I School and Associate Provost Jennifer Chayes. “Not only do we want to equip these students to be local and global leaders, we also want a wide variety of perspectives in our classes, on our research teams, and in our community.”
Since 2011, over 200 students have been introduced to the information sciences and the rigor of graduate-level study. i3 boasts an impressive 100% graduate school acceptance rate and a 99% retention rate.
The I School is proud to participate in this important program. We welcome qualifying applicants to contact our admissions team at admissions@ischool.berkeley.edu.
