UC Santa Barbara and three other Hispanic-Serving Institutions in California will share a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its ADVANCE program. ADVANCE seeks to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and to promote gender equity in the STEM academic workforce.

The grant will be used to establish the Center for Research, Excellence and Diversity in Team Science (CREDITS), an integrated research and training program aimed at increasing and enhancing the capacity, effectiveness and excellence of team science efforts in California. Team science consists of interdisciplinary, collaborative research among two or more scientists in which team members integrate their respective perspectives and methods in a single endeavor. CREDITS will target female faculty members and researchers, with a focus on underrepresented minorities.

"UCSB leads the way among research-intensive universities trying to increase the diversity of their student body," said Michael Witherell, UCSB's vice chancellor for research. "We are the first university from the Association of American Universities to achieve the federal status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. CREDITS will help us grow our research portfolio while strengthening our partnerships with other Hispanic-Serving Institutions."

Over the next five years the founding members of the initiative ? UCSB, UC Merced, California State University, Channel Islands and San Diego State University ? will organize team science retreats focusing on specific areas of interdisciplinary research. The group will also develop leadership workshops that examine the effects of diversity on collaborative research and conduct training for women and people of color on how to be team leaders, how to create effective teams and how to be good team members.