Anna Bou
Environmental Compliance Engineer

Anna Bou is an Environmental Compliance Representative for the Environmental Protection Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and is responsible for developing and delivering environmental products and services to line organizations and stakeholders.

University of Tennessee Info Session
March 3, 2009
Knoxville, TN

Oakridge National Laboratory Site Visit
March 4, 2009
Knoxville, TN

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
March 5, 2009

Jackson State University
March 5, 2009
Jackson, MS

Mississippi State University Site Visit & GRAD Lab
March 6-7, 2009
Starkville, MS

Clemson University Site Visit
March 10, 2009
Clemson, SC

USHLI Conference
March 19 - 20, 2009
Chicago, IL

NSBE 34th National Convention
March 25-29, 2009
Las Vegas, NV

Case Western Reserve University Site Visit
March 30, 2009
Cleveland, OH

CSTEP Conference
April 2-3, 2009
Bolton Landing, NY

NOBCChE National Conference
April 13-18, 2009
Philadelphia, PA

UC Davis Graduate Advisors Consortium Meeting and Info Session
April 19-23, 2009
Davis, CA

UC Sacramento Info Session
April 23, 2009
Sacramento, CA

Kentucky/West Virginia LSAMP Conference
April 24-25, 2009

Mohawk Community College
April 28, 2009
Utica, NY

Corning Site Visit
April 29, 2009
Corning, NY

More GEM Events

GEM Announces New Partnerships!

GEM Announces Partnership with the Hispanic College Fund

On Tuesday, February 3, 2009 GEM signed a partnership with the Hispanic College Fund (HCF) headquartered in Washington, DC. The partnership is a collaborative effort to increase the pipeline of Latino students pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering and science and entering the STEM workforce with graduate degrees.

The Hispanic College Fund's mission is to develop the next generation of Latino professionals. By providing vision, tools, resources, and mentors to Latino students. HCF is helping young people realize there career potential in business, science, technology, engineering, and math. The GEM/HCF partnership will be piloted in the Washington, DC area where both organizations have significant connections, with the long-term vision of expanding nationwide.

GEM signs an MOU agreement with the Institute of Broadening Participation.

IBParticipation is committed to supporting future scientists as they make their way through their education and careers. IBParticipation focus is on making an education and career in science more accessible to women, people of color, and first generation college students. The MOU between GEM and IBParticipation allows for sharing of information, particularly as it relates to providing comprehensive information on funding opportunities at GEM GRAD Labs.

HACU and GEM sign MOU at HACU’s 14th Annual Capitol Symposium in Washington D.C. on March 3, 2009.

HACU represents nearly 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Although HACU’s member institutions in the U. S. represent less than 10% of all higher education institutions nationwide, together they are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students. HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). THE GEM-HACU partnership will focus on providing graduate STEM programming and competitive applications to our nations leading graduate programs.

GEM Is Everywhere!

North, South, East, or West, there is nowhere GEM recruiters won't go to spread the word about the GEM Fellowship. GEM staff member Jacqueline Thomas braved the cold and sleeting rains in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to conduct a presentation with the Latinas in Computing group at the Grace Hopper Conference in Keystone, Colorado, as well as at the National SACNAS Conference in Salt Lake City.

GEM's Executive Michele Lezama traveled back to her alma mater at Northeastern University with Marcus Huggans to conduct a GEM GRAD Lab with the Massachusetts Consortium of STEM Programs (MC-STEMP), a northeast consortium of GEM member universities. They concluded their travels at the University of Michigan with a GRAD Lab for their Graduate and Professional Fair.

Go West! That's what writer Horace Greeley said, and GEM staff member Marcus Huggans followed this advice by conducting a GRAD Lab at the AISES National Conference in Anaheim, California and AISES' National Leadership Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.. Michele Lezama, Jacqueline Thomas and Anna Lopez were also in full force, recruiting and presenting a GRAD Lab at the SHPE National Conference in Arizona, all in time for the students to meet the November deadline of our GEM application.

GEM staff split up and traveled to the states of Texas, New Jersey, Washington and Virginia to participate in all of the NSBE Regional Meetings and to the CAHSI annual conference in California to make sure these students were aware of funding opportunities for graduate school.

GEM also conducted a week long GRAD Lab at the University of Houston in February 2009. This week long program presented an opportunity for site visits at Rice University and Prairie View A&M.

Students attend GRAD Labs at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS and at the SHPE National Conference in Phoenix. Would you like to host a GEM GRAD Lab? Please email your request to mhuggans@gemfellowship.org.

GEM was an active participant in the National Engineers Week Future City Competition serving as a judge and participating in the awards ceremony. Howard University's NSBE chapter celebrated National Engineers week by hosting a graduate panel featuring Dr. Michelle Nearon, GEM Alum and GEM Representative from Yale University and newly selected GEM Fellow, sponsored by JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, Iverson Bell.

Iverson Bell, 2009 GEM Fellow, Renetta Tull, GEM Representative, UMBC, and Arielle Benjamin, Howard University celebrate after Howard University's Beyond the Bachelor's Graduate Night, a National Engineers Week celebration.

Rounding out the end of the quarter, GEM participated in NAMEPA's 30th Anniversary Conference and Gala by conducting several workshops, most importantly a presentation to the top 100 minority students in the nation supported by MEP programs. We held graduate sessions at Florida-Georgia LSAMP, and conducted a GRAD Lab at Mississippi State Unviersity.

Would you like to host a GEM GRAD Lab? Please email your request to mhuggans@gemfellowship.org.

Fellowship Calendar

Amid sobering news in the markets to which GEM employers belong, there have been many reasons for optimism among GEM staff. Among those reasons is the rate at which employers have selected fellows compared to last year. We still have distance to travel. Our ultimate success in 2009 depends on our consistent customer service and the groundwork you lay within your divisions. Below are some milestone dates to keep in mind:

March 2009

• Deadline for current MS students to contact their GEM employers for their second internships
• Universities submit Spring Quarter payment requests
• GEM universities continue to confirm which selectees have been accepted into their graduate programs
• First of three orientation sessions with GEM selectees/fellows: March 31st 3-4pm EST
• Final Extension for Employer selections: March 30th

April 2009

• Universities continue to submit Spring Quarter requests
• List of confirmed GEM fellows finalized
• Second of three orientation sessions with GEM selectees/fellows: April 16th 5:00-6:00pm EST
• Deadline for GEM fellows to accept: April 30th
• Third and final orientation sessions with GEM Selectees/Fellows: Friday, May 1st from 12 PM - 1 PM EST
  

GEM Representatives on the Move!

GEM Alumnus, Dr. Darryll Pines, named Dean of the Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland

Dr. Darryll Pines became dean of the Clark School on January 5, 2009. He came to the University of Maryland in 1995 as an assistant professor in the Clark School and served as chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering since 2006. Dr. Pines has served as the GEM representative for the University of Maryland College Park since 1999, and has actively supported incoming GEM Fellows and applicants.

On February 24, 2009, GEM co-sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the Society of Women Engineers on The Dearth of Women in Science and Engineering: Proactive Strategies for the Future. Dr. Pines was the keynote speaker, presenting issues and benchmarked solutions as it relates to women and under-represented minorities participation in STEM faculty positions. Frank Gomez, ETS Strategic Alliances-Public Affairs Executive, represented GEM at this briefing.

Valita Jones leaves UC San Diego

Although sadden to see her go, GEM would like to wish Ms. Valita Jones much success in her new position as an Upward Bound Coordinator. Valita will be working with high school students and their families to move them into postsecondary educational institutions. She will be a member of the TRIO family, McNair, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math & Science. As an "agent of change" we know Valita will continue to be passionate of encouraging students to pursue graduate education.

Do you know of a GEM rep pursuing a new and exciting opportunity? Please send an announcement to info@gemfellowship.org.

Research Opportunities

1. Graduate Portal http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/Grad.asp (for AGEP, GK-12, IGERT National Recruitment Program, MS PHD'S and NSF Grad Research Fellowships)
2. Student Summer Research - Numerous Opportunities - Apply Soon! From the Empowering Leadership (EL): Computing Scholars of Tomorrow NSF Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance http://www.empoweringleadership.org
3. Student Summer Research - Numerous Opportunities - Apply Soon!
   National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Sites in Computer and Information Science and Engineering http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5049
   Deadlines (Feb. and March) and Research Areas Vary; check listings REU Opportunities at the following universities: Auburn, DePaul, DePauw, Florida Institute of Tech, Florida International, George Washington, Harvey Mudd College, Hope College, Humbolt State, Iowa State, Ithaca College, Jackson State, Lamar, Missouri U of Science and Tech, Montclair State, New Jersey Institute of Tech, North Carolina State, Rutgers, State U of NY-Binghamton, Stevens Institute of Tech, Texas A&M, Trinity, University of California (UC) Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Central Florida, Connecticut, Houston, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts Amherst, Missouri-Columbia, North Carolina-Charlotte, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Southern California, Texas-Arlington, Texas-Austin, Utah State, Virginia Tech, Washington State
4. Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)
   Summer Research for Students at Numerous Sites http://www.agep.us/
   Rice University AGEP Summer Program - Deadline: March 1, 2009 http://rgs.rice.edu/AGEP/spd.cfm
5. Summer Research Experiences National Database of Opportunities http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/Summerresearch.asp Search by institute, discipline, or region Deadlines vary; check listings
6. Applications Open for CRA-W/CDC Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS)
   http://www.cra-w.org/projects/dist_lect.php The Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W) and the Coalition to Diversify Computing (CDC) sponsor a Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) to encourage women and minorities to pursue graduate education in computer science and engineering. The DLS brings prominent academic and industry researchers to campuses to deliver technical talk(s) and to participate in "recruiting" events such as a panel discussion about graduate school. At the events, students have the opportunity to discuss the graduate school process and experience with successful female and minority researchers, facilitating their ability to make an informed decision about pursuing graduate study.
7. Undergraduate Portal http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/ (for those seeking REU and other Summer Programs)
   

Visit www.gemfellowship.org for more information on The National GEM Consortium!