For the third year in a row, the School of Dental Medicine’s Destination Dental School has received the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual award — a national honor recognizing colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) — UB will be featured in the September 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine, along with 82 other recipients.

“It is extremely rewarding to receive national recognition for this distinctive pathway program,” says Marcelo W.B. Araujo, dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “Making STEM fields, including dentistry, available to students from all backgrounds is more important than ever. The kind of turnout Destination Dental School enjoys, combined with the feedback we receive from participants, demonstrates that it fulfills a real need. I am proud of our faculty, staff and dental students for making the program such a success.”

The Inspiring Programs in STEM Award winners were selected based on their efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives.

“We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in STEM,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

Destination Dental School, UB’s hybrid online and in-person summer pathway program, is free and open to undergraduate students and bachelor-degree recipients interested in a career in dentistry. It provides participants with an understanding of the day-to-day life of a dentist and dental student, helps strengthen their dental school applications and develops their skills as researchers. This year’s program wrapped up with in-person programming June 23-27 on the South Campus.