Board 31: Research Experiences and Mentoring in Separations

Thomas McKean; Jorge Almodovar; Ranil Wickramasinghe

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED) Poster Session
Tagged Division: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44624
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44624

Paper Authors

biography

Thomas McKean University of Arkansas

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Thomas McKean III is a Ph.D. candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering program and the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas working under Dr. Ranil Wickramasinghe. Thomas holds his MS from the University of Arkansas in Microelectronics Photonics and BS in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University. He has extensive experience mentoring new graduate students and tutoring undergraduate chemistry students. He hopes to continue to help young researchers discover their passion for STEM while finishing his PhD and after.

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Jorge Almodovar University of Arkansas

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Jorge Almodovar is an associate professor at the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He holds the Ralph E. Martin Professorship in Chemical Engineering. He also serves as the director for the Arkansas LSAMP Bridge-to-the-Doctorate program. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University (CSU). At CSU he investigated the delivery and stability of growth factors using polysaccharide-based biomaterials. After CSU, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Grenoble Institute of Technology in Grenoble, France investigating the formation of gradients on polyelectrolyte multilayer films, funded by the Whitaker International Program. Prior to joining Arkansas, he was a faculty member at the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez where he began an active research group. His research interests include extracellular matrix mimetic biomaterials, cell-material interactions, and biomaterials as therapeutics. His research focus is on the engineering of biomimetic materials—inspired by the native cell environment—for fundamental studies, cell manufacturing, tissue engineering, therapeutics, drug delivery and regenerative medicine. His research team also focuses on developing electrospun materials for applications in healthcare and water treatment. He is an author of 35 peer-reviewed research articles, 2 patents, 5 book chapters, and an editor for one textbook.

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Ranil Wickramasinghe P.E. University of Arkansas

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Abstract

A Research Experiences and Mentoring (REM) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) was developed to provide summer research and mentoring opportunities to underrepresented minority (URM) and non-traditional community college students. The goal of the program was to introduce URM and non-traditional students to STEM research opportunities they are not traditionally exposed to through the Membrane Science and Technology (MAST) NSF Industry/University Collaborative Research Center (I/UCRC). The NSF-REM initiative also seeks to provide post-program mentoring not found in typical Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. The program mirrored a traditional REU 10-week summer experience plus additional professional development mentoring during the following academic year. During the summer, the community college students in the REM program were paired with students from a parallel REU program to work closely together under the same faculty member. Constant collaboration between the students allowed for peer mentoring as the students developed their ability to conduct complex experiments and communicate their results. Post summer program mentoring sessions consisted of speakers from both academia and industry, informal career and research guidance, and a trip to a national conference in Washington D.C. where the students presented their summer research at a poster presentation. Both REM and REU programs along with the faculty advisors contained strong representation of URM groups. All seven REM students were from URM groups, including five women. This diverse community and heavy interaction between the REM and REU programs fostered the self-efficacy of students in both programs. Overall, great improvement in the technical knowledge, ability to conduct and communicate a research project, and desire to pursue a career in STEM was observed in all students over the course of the both the 10-week summer program and post-program mentoring. This was particularly evident among those that presented their work at the national conference, including one student who won second place for best poster. Feedback from mentoring sessions indicated students and their families were more knowledgeable about and open to different types of STEM career paths, particularly research and graduate school. Of the seven students, three have joined new research groups or are continuing to actively pursue research, and three others will transfer to the University of Arkansas following completion of their associate degrees.

Citation
Format

McKean, T., & Almodovar, J., & Wickramasinghe, R. (2023, June), Board 31: Research Experiences and Mentoring in Separations Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44624

TY - CPAPER
AB - A Research Experiences and Mentoring (REM) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) was developed to provide summer research and mentoring opportunities to underrepresented minority (URM) and non-traditional community college students. The goal of the program was to introduce URM and non-traditional students to STEM research opportunities they are not traditionally exposed to through the Membrane Science and Technology (MAST) NSF Industry/University Collaborative Research Center (I/UCRC). The NSF-REM initiative also seeks to provide post-program mentoring not found in typical Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. The program mirrored a traditional REU 10-week summer experience plus additional professional development mentoring during the following academic year. During the summer, the community college students in the REM program were paired with students from a parallel REU program to work closely together under the same faculty member. Constant collaboration between the students allowed for peer mentoring as the students developed their ability to conduct complex experiments and communicate their results. Post summer program mentoring sessions consisted of speakers from both academia and industry, informal career and research guidance, and a trip to a national conference in Washington D.C. where the students presented their summer research at a poster presentation. Both REM and REU programs along with the faculty advisors contained strong representation of URM groups. All seven REM students were from URM groups, including five women. This diverse community and heavy interaction between the REM and REU programs fostered the self-efficacy of students in both programs. Overall, great improvement in the technical knowledge, ability to conduct and communicate a research project, and desire to pursue a career in STEM was observed in all students over the course of the both the 10-week summer program and post-program mentoring. This was particularly evident among those that presented their work at the national conference, including one student who won second place for best poster. Feedback from mentoring sessions indicated students and their families were more knowledgeable about and open to different types of STEM career paths, particularly research and graduate school. Of the seven students, three have joined new research groups or are continuing to actively pursue research, and three others will transfer to the University of Arkansas following completion of their associate degrees.
AU - Thomas McKean
AU - Jorge Almodovar
AU - Ranil Wickramasinghe P.E.
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 31: Research Experiences and Mentoring in Separations
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44624
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44624
ER -