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Deanna C.E.Sinex is a Bioengineering Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research involves the development and application of engineering concepts and active learning techniques in clinical and institutional learning environments to help improve the literacy of fundamental, yet critical aspects of health.

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Dr. Mary Besterfield-Sacre is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor in Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the Founding Director for the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC) in the Swanson School of Engineering, and serves as a Center Associate for the Learning Research and Development Center. Her principal research is in engineering education assessment, which has been funded by the NSF, Department of Ed, Sloan, EIF, and NCIIA. Dr. Sacre’s current research focuses on three distinct but highly correlated areas – innovative design and entrepreneurship, engineering modeling, and global competency in engineering.

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Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale previously served as the Interim Director of AGEP PROMISE Academy Alliance(APAA). Currently, she is the Internal Evaluator for APAA, Social Science Research Coordinator, and the Dissertation Coach for the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and has worked with faculty, graduate students, and administrators at UMCP and UMB. She has been involved with graduate student retention, institutional survey administration, and with AGEP projects as a Dissertation Coach for PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP, the University of Michigan AGEP, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt STRIVE AGEP. She is a quantitative social science researcher and lead author for the “Dissertation House Model” (2016), published by CBE Life Sciences, which was acknowledged at the 2018 AGEP National Research Conference, “Pathways to a Diverse Professoriate,” at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Carter-Veale co-authored “Structured Interventions for Underrepresented Students and Faculty Members in STEM” (2014), as part of the 2012 Conference Summary for “Understanding interventions that broaden participation in research careers: Intervening to Critical Mass,” and she co-authored the book chapter, “Successful Ph.D. Pathways to Advanced STEM Careers for Black Women” (2011). Carter-Veale is Co-PI on the Career Pathways project (Council of Graduate Schools), and she has had social and behavioral sciences faculty experience at Arizona State University – West, and the University of Maryland University College. As an entrepreneur she has formed successful businesses, TA-DA Thesis and Dissertation Accomplished, Ph.D. Completion and conducted many professional development workshops for graduate students at many universities across the country. Her expertise in graduate retention and Ph.D. completion is well known. Dr. Carter-Veale co-authored a recent book with Dr. Howard G. Adams entitled, Mastering the Ph.D. Process: Strategies for Surviving, Thriving, Excelling, and Succeeding as a Doctoral Student. She has conducted many professional development workshops for graduate students at several graduate schools including Duke University, MIT, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Western Michigan, and Arizona State University.

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Drew Yohe is an undergraduate researcher pursuing his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Dr. Abramowitch’s is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the director of the Translational Biomechanics Laboratory where his research applies approaches from mechanical testing, image analysis, mathematical and computational modeling, and device design to solve problems related to female pelvic health. He has secured funding from the NIH, DOD, NSF, and other sources to support these efforts. He is also co-director of 2 NSF sponsored programs focused on the success of underrepresented minorities and a national award winner (BMES 2019) for his work in diversity and inclusion.

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Sylvanus Wosu is the Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs and Associate Professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the University of Pittsburgh. Wosu's research interests are in the areas of impact physics and engineering of new composite materials, dynamic problems in composites failure, and energy containment and responses of dynamical systems. Wosu is also interested in engineering education with particular interests in development models for effective recruitment, retention, and mentoring of women and under-represented students. Other research interests include experimental investigation of the dynamic failures and crack propagation of cylindrical composite storage tank with particular interests in the development of hydrogen storage tanks, failure behaviors of hydrogen-diffused porous composite materials, and the containment of the associated hydrogen embrittlement. Wosu established an integrative dynamic impact and high speed imaging system at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Mechanical Engineering that is capable of simulating low and high strain rate penetration loading and capturing the dynamic event at two million frames per second. Special sample fixtures he developed are used to study perforation impact and single and multi-mode fracture tests and general characterization of materials failure. His other research interests include experimental nuclear medical physics, laser-based medical physics research in cerebral metabolic pathways of oxygen, petro physics, and petroleum fluid characterization of reservoirs.

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