Our History: Building a Citywide STEM Research Mentoring Community
The NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium grew from a visionary partnership between the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and The Pinkerton Foundation, whose leadership and support were instrumental in shaping the initiative. In 2011, when Rick Smith, CEO and President of The Pinkerton Foundation, asked if AMNH could increase the number of participants in its Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) with additional funding, the Museum said no. The reason was simple — AMNH didn’t yet have the ability to invite more students into their labs. That “no” sparked a conversation about engaging other scientific institutions that might be able to do a similar program.
Armed with a planning grant from Pinkerton, the team developed a template based on SRMP’s core criteria to include in a Request For Proposals. Working together, Pinkerton and AMNH selected a founding cohort of six partner institutions, with each receiving crucial startup funding from the Foundation.
place holder
The inaugural Science Research Mentoring Consortium officially launched in January of 2013 with six partner institutions: AMNH, City University of New York (CUNY) Lehman College, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center, Wave Hill, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. The goal was to bring together a diverse range of scientific and cultural institutions under one shared mission, and from the outset, the Consortium prioritized action. Partners immediately began mapping program timelines, planning joint mentor preparation workshops, and designing shared student conferences — all aimed at building a vibrant community. They tackled common challenges — from student recruitment to college readiness — forging a model of shared problem-solving that remains a core strength. Together, AMNH and Pinkerton transformed a single program into a collaborative ecosystem dedicated to resource-sharing, professional mentorship, and nurturing the next generation of STEM leaders.
Since 2012, Pinkerton has remained a steadfast funder and thought partner. As of May 2025, the Foundation has provided roughly $4 million in support of the Consortium and $24 million in support of the programs at 30 partner organizations. In doing so, Pinkerton has helped sustain a collective effort that expands opportunity and prepares the next generation of STEM leaders — proving that the right partnership can spark lasting impact.
Our Partners:
A Lasting and Growing Impact
While each program operates independently, all Consortium members are united by a set of guiding principles:
- a commitment to increasing diversity in STEM
- fostering community among participants
- providing a rigorous foundation that includes at least 30 hours of structured learning in core STEM concepts and lab techniques
- a minimum of 100 hours of authentic research with a scientist mentor
- ongoing support of mentors
- compensating students and labs for their work
AMNH continues to lead this network, convening partners as a community of practice and hosting annual poster sessions that showcase student research.
A new chapter began in 2024 when the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation joined The Pinkerton Foundation as a key supporter, establishing an innovative, collaborative funding model for the Consortium’s future. We are excited to embark on this next phase of evolution and growth, continuing to build a more inclusive and dynamic scientific community for all of New York City.
Special thank you
The NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium is a strong community and has been shaped by incredible people from the very beginning. The many program representatives from all the institutions in the network have made the Consortium what it is today.
We’d particularly like to recognize Laurie Dien from The Pinkerton Foundation and Ruth Cohen, Maggie Jacobs, and Hillary Osheroff from AMNH for sparking the idea of the Consortium, Preeti Gupta for her leadership in launching and shepherding the network through the years, and Christine Calderon for her work developing and building the Consortium into a meaningful community. Tramia Jackson, Arden Feil, Maria Strangas, and Mark Weckel have continued to grow and deepen the Consortium, transforming a group of individual programs into a vibrant, collaborative community of practice.
We would especially like to thank our incredible partners at The Pinkerton Foundation, Laurie Dien and Jenny Negron, for their vision, their brilliant ideas, and their steadfast commitment to youth mentorship, scientific research, and compassionate collaboration.
The NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium is supported by The Pinkerton Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation under Grant No. G-2025-25266.