Talent+: A Model for Equitable Recruitment, Training, and Mentorship in Cognitive Science

While systemic inequalities persist in academia, internship programs can be a tool to broaden participation in science. With this in mind, the Talent+ internship program was designed to create (1) a recruitment model that could be extended to other positions within the institute and possibly adapted to others, (2) a support infrastructure to meet the needs of students from underrepresented backgrounds, and (3) a career training program addressing long-term barriers faced. We then describe our experience in the creation and implementation of this program as a road-map for others with similar goals in mind. Here, we include the specifics of the program, as well as feedback from both students and supervisors, and the lessons learned. In the end, the experience taught us the key to the administrative hurdles to overcome, the specific needs of students from particular backgrounds, and the kinds of support that supervisors need in these programs.