iBMEntored Buddy Program for First-Year International BME Doctoral Students

Mia K. Markey; Huiliang Wang; Ju-Chun Hsieh; Xiangping Liu

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Conference: 2024 ASEE-GSW
Location: Canyon, Texas
Publication Date: March 10, 2024
Start Date: March 10, 2024
End Date: March 12, 2024
Page Count: 6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45384
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/45384
Download Count: 23

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Paper Authors

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Mia K. Markey The University of Texas at Austin orcid.org/0000-0001-8186-4959

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Dr. Mia K. Markey is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cullen Trust for Higher Education Endowed Professorship in Engineering #1 at The University of Texas at Austin as well as Adjunct Professor of Imaging Physics at The University of Texas MD And

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Huiliang Wang University of Texas at Austin orcid.org/0000-0003-4063-270X

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Huiliang (Evan) Wang is an Assistant professor at the Biomedical Engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). His research is on neuro-engineering technologies. Prior to joining UT Austin, he was a postdoc at Stanford Bioengineering and his PhD degree from Stanford Materials Science and Engineering. He did his undergraduate in Materials Science from University of Oxford.

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Ju-Chun Hsieh University of Texas at Austin

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Xiangping Liu University of Texas at Austin

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Abstract

To first-year international doctoral students, there are many challenges to face when they land in the US and pursue their academic dreams, such as cultural differences, language barriers, and more. A peer with more local living experience would boost the fit-in process for these first-year international doctoral students. Concurrently, BME undergraduates might be overwhelmed by postgraduate choices and career path selection. A peer with more research and academic experience would be very helpful for the undergraduates to make their academic decisions.

Thus, we introduced the iBMEntored Buddy Program, a novel initiative designed to create a unique mentorship environment for first-year international doctoral students and domestic Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates, in which doctoral students and undergraduates can help each other with their complementary experiences and perspectives. The program aims to address challenges related to cultural diversity, language barriers, academic goals, and social acclimatization for international doctoral students while providing BME undergraduates with insights into postgraduate aspirations, research expertise, and cultural interests.

The iBMEntored buddy pairs, consisting of an international BME doctoral student and a BME undergraduate, will bewere integrated into UT BME's successful BMEntored program. Leveraging the success of the existing program, the iBMEntored Buddy Program facilitates weekly meetings or alternative activities throughout the first year, fostering understanding, friendship, and the successful navigation of shared challenges. Participation was open to all first-year international BME doctoral students enrolling in Fall 2023 and interested BME undergraduates. The structure encourages mutual mentorship with flexibility in meeting formats, including traditional meetings, shared meals, social events, local excursions, or research-focused pursuits.

To date, we have successfully paired up 5 pairs of buddy pairs. All buddy pairs have reported successfully meeting up multiple times throughout the semester and will continue to do so for the following semesters, even after the program ends. All pairs have developed unique dynamics between the two students. For example, a pair reported that the iBMEntored buddy became the person’s best study buddy while they were both preparing for the exams/the medical college admission test. Another pair reported that they had developed a deep friendship and met up even more frequently than once a week. The graduate students also reported that the program helped their transition to the new environment more smoothly.

By combining the success of the BMEntored program with a focus on the first year international PhD students, the iBMEntored Buddy Program is expected to enhance the overall educational experience for international students who are new to the US, promoting a sense of community within the UT BME department.

Citation
Format

Markey, M. K., & Wang, H., & Hsieh, J., & Liu, X. (2024, March), iBMEntored Buddy Program for First-Year International BME Doctoral Students Paper presented at 2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--45384

TY - CPAPER
AB - To first-year international doctoral students, there are many challenges to face when they land in the US and pursue their academic dreams, such as cultural differences, language barriers, and more. A peer with more local living experience would boost the fit-in process for these first-year international doctoral students. Concurrently, BME undergraduates might be overwhelmed by postgraduate choices and career path selection. A peer with more research and academic experience would be very helpful for the undergraduates to make their academic decisions.

Thus, we introduced the iBMEntored Buddy Program, a novel initiative designed to create a unique mentorship environment for first-year international doctoral students and domestic Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates, in which doctoral students and undergraduates can help each other with their complementary experiences and perspectives. The program aims to address challenges related to cultural diversity, language barriers, academic goals, and social acclimatization for international doctoral students while providing BME undergraduates with insights into postgraduate aspirations, research expertise, and cultural interests.

The iBMEntored buddy pairs, consisting of an international BME doctoral student and a BME undergraduate, will bewere integrated into UT BME&#39;s successful BMEntored program. Leveraging the success of the existing program, the iBMEntored Buddy Program facilitates weekly meetings or alternative activities throughout the first year, fostering understanding, friendship, and the successful navigation of shared challenges. Participation was open to all first-year international BME doctoral students enrolling in Fall 2023 and interested BME undergraduates. The structure encourages mutual mentorship with flexibility in meeting formats, including traditional meetings, shared meals, social events, local excursions, or research-focused pursuits.

To date, we have successfully paired up 5 pairs of buddy pairs. All buddy pairs have reported successfully meeting up multiple times throughout the semester and will continue to do so for the following semesters, even after the program ends. All pairs have developed unique dynamics between the two students. For example, a pair reported that the iBMEntored buddy became the person’s best study buddy while they were both preparing for the exams/the medical college admission test. Another pair reported that they had developed a deep friendship and met up even more frequently than once a week. The graduate students also reported that the program helped their transition to the new environment more smoothly.

By combining the success of the BMEntored program with a focus on the first year international PhD students, the iBMEntored Buddy Program is expected to enhance the overall educational experience for international students who are new to the US, promoting a sense of community within the UT BME department.

AU - Mia K. Markey
AU - Huiliang Wang
AU - Ju-Chun Hsieh
AU - Xiangping Liu
CY - Canyon, Texas
DA - 2024/03/10
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - iBMEntored Buddy Program for First-Year International BME Doctoral Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/45384
DO - 10.18260/1-2--45384
ER -