Newsletter
A bi-monthly newsletter for the NSF Science and Technology Center on
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TABLE OF CONTENTS |
CMDITR Building Connections through Diversity and Outreach InitiativesBy Keith Oden, Diversity Director
Engineers and scientists often build bridges that span waterways and connect people who might otherwise be isolated. This past fall several Center faculty and staff made visits to institutions to build and strengthen bridges for student recruitment and possible research collaborations. These visits focus on identifying qualified prospective underrepresented science and engineering students, promoting science and engineering as a viable career option, and marketing the Center’s educational and research programs as viable career-enhancing options. All faculty visits were strategically linked to recruitment efforts for graduate programs, Center-sponsored programs such as the Faculty FOCUS program (GeorgiaTech) and the CMDITR summer research programs, as well as possible research collaborations. Of the visits made, one in particular holds much promise for building a bridge across the ocean to the island of Puerto Rico. In September 2007 CMDITR Diversity Director Keith Oden visited the island of Puerto Rico to connect the Center with the STEM Minority Serving Institutions and organizations in Puerto Rico. While there he met with students and key faculty at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez and the University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras, and attended the Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) Model Institutions for Excellence Conference (http://umet_mie.suagm.edu/). During his visit he met with many high-achieving Hispanic and Latino STEM students. He also provided presentations on CMDITR and its participating lead institutions. Students varied in their knowledge of the Center’s schools -- but all seemed interested. Keith Oden learned that the key points for developing strong bridges to Puerto Rican universities and their students are: partners visit Puerto Rico institutions yearly, they establish a tradition of having students participate in positive summer research programs, and whenever possible they provide funding mechanisms so students, faculty and administrators can visit (and be introduced to) these institutions of interest. As a result of these planning discussions, the LSAMP Director for Puerto Rico and two of his high-achieving Hispanic students came to Georgia Tech for the FOCUS Faculty Program. The faculty and students were involved in enrichment activities that focused on building a relationship with Georgia Tech and CMDITR. Follow-up activities are taking place with the goal of placing at least two students in the Center’s “Hooked on Photonics” summer research program and building a bridge that will establish a tradition. In addition to faculty visits, the Center Diversity Team has attended several National Diversity recruitment conferences. These conferences include AISES, the GEM National Conference, SERMACS, SREB, MAES, and SACNAS. Upcoming conferences for this spring include the National Association of Black & Hispanic Physicists, the Florida - Georgia LSAMP Conference, and the National NOBCChE Conference. Many members of the Diversity Team feel that our efforts toward the building of important bridges to underrepresented students and key targeted institutions are working. In addition to developing and implementing our “blueprint” for successful diversity initiatives -- similar to building a bridge -- we are bringing Center members together in a collaborative effort to construct a structure that will stand the test of time and leave a positive legacy. CMDITR Faculty Who Made Visits Include:
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