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Gary Nave is a Ph.D. student in the Engineering Mechanics program at Virginia Tech, working on invariant manifolds and flow-structure interaction. He is passionate about teaching students in the fields of dynamical systems and fluid mechanics. He is also passionate about global education, stoked by the Global Perspectives Program through trips to Switzerland and Ecuador. From Virginia originally, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. He currently serves as the Director of Programs for the Graduate Student Assembly and is the founding president of the Graduate Engineering Mechanics Society, both at Virginia Tech.

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Amy Hermundstad is a doctoral student and Graduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education. Her research interests include the professional development of engineering students through out-of-class activities.

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Michael Stewart (Ph.D. candidate, Third Lab, Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Dept. of Computer Science, Virginia Tech) conducts research on the micro-coordination – tight coupling of behavior to possibility in the moment – of individuals with each other and technology in co-located and remote settings. He employs Research Through Design to explore how ICTs function to facilitate our feelings of togetherness. This interest stems from and supports his work designing, building and researching assistive and educational technologies.

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Michele Waters is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering (SBES/BEAM) department at Virginia Tech. Originally from New York, Michele attended SUNY Stony Brook and CUNY City College (Grove School of Engineering) for her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Michele is currently investigating the role of inflammation (macrophage differentiation) in traumatic brain injury; she is also evaluating the potential of human hair-derived keratin biomaterials to promote an anti-inflammatory environment, thereby improving clinical outcomes for patients. Michele is a member of the New Horizons Graduate Scholar program and has served on the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Selection Committee at Virginia Tech. She is committed to improving diversity in higher education, creating mentoring opportunities, and hopes to continue recruiting women and minorities into STEM fields.

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Emily Garner is a PhD student studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include sustainable drinking water and wastewater treatment, fate and transport of emerging microbial contaminants, and water quality in distribution systems.

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Mohammed Seyam is a Computer Science doctoral candidate in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Mansoura University and his Master’s degree in Information Systems from Cairo University, both in Egypt. His work is focused on Software Engineering, Computer Science Education, Usability Research, and Mobile Software Development.
Seyam served as the 2015-16 Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Visitors, where he worked as a liaison between the graduate student population and the governing authority of the university. Among his other activities at Virginia Tech, Seyam served as a Global Ambassador, helping welcome new international students to the Virginia Tech community. He was a member of the Computer Science Graduate Council, as well as the Center for the Arts international advisory board. As a participant in the Global Perspectives Program, Seyam traveled with the Graduate School to France, Switzerland, Italy, and Ecuador to study different higher education systems around the world. Seyam is also a Fellow of the Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence, and he earned the Graduate Certificate of Preparing Future Professoriate in 2016.

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Chelsea is currently an Agriculture Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech. She works closely with two extension programs - one adult and one high school level - through program development, curriculum design, and outcome assessment. Chelsea holds a BS and MS degree from Kansas State University both in Biological and Agricultural Engineering and will be rejoining the graduate student world by beginning a second master's degree in the fall with an emphasis in interdisciplinary program and curriculum development.

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Karen P. DePauw serves as Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education and holds academic appointments as tenured Professor in the Departments of Sociology and Department of Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Since her arrival at Virginia Tech, her major accomplishments include success in building a strong, diverse and inclusive graduate community; establishing the national award-winning innovative Graduate Life Center (GLC); and implementing the signature academic initiative known as Transformative Graduate Education (TGE), including the global perspectives and preparing the future professoriate programs.

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