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Graduate Research Experience and Transitioning to Grad School (GREaT GradS): A New Approach to Graduate-School Onboarding for Marginalized Groups

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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

Graduate Studies Division (GSD) Technical Session 1: Recruitment and Support in Engineering Graduate Programs

Tagged Division

Graduate Studies Division (GSD)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

25

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43823

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43823

Download Count

294

Paper Authors

biography

Alyssa V. B. Santos Pennsylvania State University

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Alyssa (Bienvenu) Santos is a sixth-year graduate student in theoretical and computational chemistry. Her work includes the study of geometry optimization techniques as well as binding energy and stability of N-heterocyclic carbenes on coinage metal surfaces and nanoparticles.

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Sarah J. Boehm Pennsylvania State University

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Fadi Castronovo California State University, East Bay Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-6143-1777

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Hi! My name is Fadi Castronovo, I am an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Cal State East Bay. I received my doctorate in Architectural Engineering at Penn State with a minor in Educational Psychology. I am strongly focused on my teaching and research. In my teaching, I strive to provide an engaging and active learning experience to my students, by applying innovative technology and researched pedagogical interventions. I translate this passion for pedagogy in my research by evaluating the intersection of innovative technology and learning.

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Tiffany A. Mathews Pennsylvania State University

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Tiffany A. Mathews is the Director of the Office of Science Engagement in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State. Her focus is helping undergraduate find research, internship or co-op experiences and managing research programs. She earned her PhD in Chemistry from Penn State, conducted postdoctoral research at Wake Forest’s School of Medicine. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Buffalo. Since coming back to Penn State in 2014, she has directed the Chemistry Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs and worked on numerous student success programs at the undergrad and graduate level.

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Abstract

After undergraduate research programming was thoroughly disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it became evident that incoming graduate students may not have had the opportunity to fully prepare for the changes experienced in the first semester of graduate school. To ease this transition, the Center for Nanoscale Science, a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NSF-MRSEC) at Penn State University, developed the Graduate Research Experience and Transitioning to Grad School (GREaT GradS) program initially for the summer of 2021 as a 6-week, graduate school summer foundational program for incoming students in disciplines spanning engineering, materials science, chemistry, and physics. After a successful pilot in 2021, the program was conducted with a larger group of students in the summer of 2022. Thus far, our results indicate that this program will be beneficial to students well after regular programming resumes at full capacity. GREaT GradS was designed to serve groups of graduate students who are typically marginalized within science with an eye toward retention through support and mentorship. The overall goals were to provide (1) Resource Recognition by introducing students to the various academic and personal resources available on campus, (2) Personal Preparation through programming on subjects such as personal finance and mental health, (3) Career Preparation through writing workshops and curriculum vitae editing, and (4) Network Building by connecting students with current graduate students. Students were also matched with faculty to conduct summer research in their field of interest. Here, we describe the program content in greater detail as well as the quantitative outcomes of the program. This program of a dedicated transition period can serve as a model for other researchers, educators, and coordinators to develop new and similar programs.

Santos, A. V. B., & Boehm, S. J., & Castronovo, F., & Mathews, T. A. (2023, June), Graduate Research Experience and Transitioning to Grad School (GREaT GradS): A New Approach to Graduate-School Onboarding for Marginalized Groups Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43823

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