What is REACH?

REACH is a collaboration between the Lehman College Campus Honors and Scholar Engagement (CHASE) and the School of Natural and Social Sciences (NSS) to identify research opportunities for students in our campus research labs and to prepare students for competitive external research placements and scholar development. The primary mission of REACH is to create a robust and vital community of STEM undergraduate researchers who are nurtured to become STEM leaders of the future. REACH students will be supported by CHASE staff and CHASE’s NSS Scholar Community, and by peer and faculty mentors who will guide students to STEM degrees and beyond, including post-graduate programs, STEM careers, and scholar development. 

Lehman College of the City University of New York's is the only four-year college in the Bronx, serving the borough and surrounding regions as an intellectual, economic, and cultural center. A federally designated Hispanic-serving institution, Lehman is a catalyst for economic and social mobility for underserved students: Our diverse student body contains over 14,000 students, more than half of whom are first-generation students; more than 80% of our students identify as Black, Hispanic, or both. In two separate studies of more than 1,600 American colleges, Lehman ranked fourth with respect to the share of graduates who transition from the bottom quintiles of the family income distribution to the top quintiles of the individual earnings distribution. 

Modern challenges such as climate change, global health disparities, and potential inequitable applications of artificial intelligence require a leadership community that is representative of the population served. REACH’s vision is expansive and imagines preparing graduates from groups traditionally underrepresented and underserved in STEM areas ready to solve 21st century problems in ways that benefit all people. To achieve this vision, undergraduate research is deeply imbedded in the culture of the Lehman STEM programs. 

Program Contact Information

Pamela Mills, Dean of Natural and Social Science
Email: pamela.mills@lehman.cuny.edu
Phone: 718-960-8764