In This Issue

2007 Conference Registration Information

You already know GEM's annual conference and board of directors meeting is going Las Vegas.  If you haven't already ... SAVE THE DATE!  Mark your calendar for October 4-6.  We will announce hotel reservation and conference registration information in February.

New conference activities being planned include:

• the first annual golf outing sponsored by the GEM Alumni Association (GAA) and,
• a Graduate School Fair to recruit more of the nation's top underrepresented students into advanced degree programs.

People are talking about ... the Third Pillar of GEM: GEM alumni!  After the 2006 conference the up swell of interest in alumni involvement in GEM begged for an opportunity to better utilize this vital resource. 

The GEM Alumni Association (GAA) worked to develop an easy and efficient solution to drive benefits for all constituents.  Now, this spring GEM will work with employer representatives and alumni to recruit Corporate Ambassadors.  Ambassadors will liaise with  management at his or her employer member organization to facilitate outreach to other GEM alumni within the organization, coordinate mentoring of GEM fellow interns, and help represent GEM and the employer member at local, regional, and national events where GEM will have a presence.  

Already successfully piloted at The Aerospace Corporation, the GEM Ambassador program is ready for implementation throughout the employer member network.   

The program is expected to add great value to the entire GEM community by creating new touch points and strengthening existing ones between fellows, alumni, employers, and universities. 

Alumni Resources at a Glance
Need to know how to...

Get involved as a GEM alum?
Contact any GAA Officer .

Convert your employer to a GEM member?
Contact Michele Lezama , executive director.

Make a financial contribution to GEM?
Complete and return a simple form or call (574) 631-7771 to use your MasterCard, VISA, or American Express. 

Update your contact information?
Send us an email .

2007 GEM Fellow-elects Being Reviewed by Employers, Recruited by Universities

On December 15, 2006 all employer members participating in the current GEM fellow selection received applicants for review and selection.  Thanks to the hard work of GEM staff and the Selection Committee, GEM fellow-elects were provided an entire month earlier than in recent years. 

"Improving on timeliness was a customer service issue.  A later release of applicants constrained the time and resources members, especially universities, could devote to effectively recruiting applicants as GEM fellows.  That too often meant someone might be notified of our fellowship opportunity too late to take advantage of what GEM had to offer versus another employer, university, or fellowship.  Speeding up the process and eliminating this domino effect makes our offering, and our organization overall, more competitive," said executive director Michele Lezama.

Lezama said what happens now to keep this early momentum going is in the hands of members. 

First, universities have had access to applicant E-mail address and phone numbers since December 8--also a month earlier than prior years.  To bolster recruiting efforts representatives also received, for the first time, information on candidates whose applications and/or supporting documents were not received as complete in time for consideration by the Selection Committee.  This pool of current students and working professionals is an excellent source of potential GEM fellows and other graduate students representatives must use aggressively, Lezama said.

Next is the review deadline for employers.  Messages to representatives asked for confirmation or release initial potential fellows no later than 5 PM Eastern on Wednesday, January 31, 2007.  While recognizing that many representatives secure internships for fellows through a network of hiring managers, Lezama said the goal is to ensure the maximum number of fellowships are awarded.

"Every applicant deserves a fair and equal chance to receive the honor of a GEM fellowship.  Sometimes that will mean giving another employer a shot at that student or working professional.  Far worse is losing that highly qualified applicant to GEM altogether," she said stressing the need for the consortium to work together to meet fellowship timeline and award goals.  "We're here to work with members through every step of this process." 

Members having questions or concerns should contact Lezama at mlezama@gemfellowship.org (574) 631-7774, or Marcus Huggans, PhD, Senior Recruiter and Programs Specialist at mhuggans@gemfellowship.org (574) 631-7778.

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Fellows & Alumni

Dr. Powtawche Williams (PhD E) navigates the final frontier while delving into her fascination with space in an extraordinary early career.  A native of New Orleans, Williams (Mississippi Choctaw) recounts her journey to the moons of Saturn via the power of GEM.

�It was a childhood dream for me to obtain a graduate degree in engineering with an emphasis in space applications. I was further motivated by my research
experience in the NASA-Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (NASA-SHARP) and the NASA-Undergraduate Summer Research Program (NASA-USRP). I developed strong relationships with my mentors who offered wonderful guidance and encouragement, so it was a natural progression for me to follow through with my graduate school endeavors.

�Before pursuing a Masters degree in mechanical engineering, I completed the B.S. program in mechanical engineering at Stanford University and worked as a summer intern at the NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. GEM helped me realize my dream by providing financial support for my Masters degree at Rice University, and summer work opportunities at NASA-Johnson Space Center (Houston) and NASA-Stennis Space Center (Hancock County, Mississippi). Ultimately, I completed my doctoral degree in mechanical engineering at Rice University where my research related to the optimization of interplanetary trajectories to Mars via electric propulsion.

�I learned about the GEM fellowship from my undergraduate advisors at Stanford
University. Knowing that I was fascinated by research and the space industry, my advisors felt GEM was a great opportunity for me. GEM appealed to me even more because not only would I gain industry experience while obtaining a graduate degree, I could establish long-lasting professional and personal networks through annual GEM technical conferences and meetings.

�As a GEM fellow, I interned at the NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston
and worked on the X-38 vehicle (International Space Station lifeboat) team. It was remarkable to be part of the technical activities, and also see the international cooperation via the European Space Agency (ESA). It was this experience that confirmed my goals of working in space-related engineering research activities, especially in a team environment.

�I work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California as a member of the Cassini Navigation team. Cassini is a spacecraft that is currently orbiting Saturn and its thirty moons. Scientists believe Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, resembles a primordial Earth. As such, the major objectives of the Cassini spacecraft are to study Titan, by use of the Huygens probe that descended onto Titan�s surface in 2004, and continuously observe Saturn, Titan, and other moons until the main mission ends in 2008.

As a member of the Cassini Navigation team, I am one of six maneuver analysts
who design and provide analysis on orbital trim maneuvers that allow the Cassini spacecraft to stay on its reference trajectory. You can learn more about Cassini�s exciting activities at the following website: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm.�

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GEM Calendar: GRAD Lab at SHPE NTCC!
 
A great partnerSHPE will put GEM's GRAD Lab front and center at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineer's National Technical and Career Conference (NTCC) Thursday, January 11. 

The full day's compelling information was tailored to the needs of SHPE's constituents with in-depth sessions dedicated to two key application processes: writing the personal statement and letters of recommendation, respectively.  This flexibility is a key reason why demand for GRAD Lab is growing so quickly.  "Our ability to customize individual sessions or the entire program makes it attractive to such a broad range of organizations and institutions," said Marcus Huggans, PhD, Senior Recruiter and Programs Specialist.  "Even so, the main tenets of GRAD Lab don't change--why an underrepresented student in STEM must consider graduate education and the tactics he or she needs to execute on to make it happen.  That message is delivered consistently every time." 

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