NSBE honors diversity champion Gene Washington
Alexandria, VA – Gene Washington, former Minnesota Vikings football player, longtime supporter of NSBE and founding member of its Board of Corporate Affiliates (BCA), received the newly created Gene Washington Champion of Champions Award at the fourteenth Annual NSBE Golden Torch Awards ceremony, held in March 2011 in St Louis, MO.
The award recognizes Washington's outstanding service to the society during his tenure with 3M, a BCA member. He retired from 3M last year as manager of workforce diversity.
"I'm very excited about the award; it's quite an honor," Washington says. "But I salute our NSBE students as the real champions: they are persevering in their studies and making a very significant contribution to our national engineering community," Washington told NSBE Magazine.
Washington had an exciting pro career with the Vikings. He began working part time for 3M in the early 1970s while he was still playing, and developed the company's first minority college relations recruitment program.
He joined 3M full time in 1988, and greatly expanded the company's diversity recruitment through his work with NSBE and many other organizations over the next twenty-one years.
NJIT appoints interim president and honors college dean
 Newark, NJ – The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Board of Trustees has unanimously appointed Joel Bloom, EdD, to serve as interim president of the university, effective immediately. Robert Altenkirch, previous president, resigned recently to become president of the University of Huntsville (Huntsville, AL). He will serve as a consultant to the interim president until the end of October.
Speaking for the NJIT Board of Trustees, Kathleen Wielkopolski expressed confidence in the selection of Bloom. "Our priority during this period is to assure that all the initiatives currently being undertaken at NJIT, both internal and external, continue to proceed. With Dr. Bloom's extensive experience and involvement in many of these initiatives, and working closely with the provost, the board is confident that this can be accomplished," she said.
Bloom is currently NJIT vice president for academic and student services and founding dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College. He has been at NJIT in a variety of roles for the past twenty years. Under his watch, student enrollment increased from 7,600 to over 9,500 students, including increases in female and minority students. The average SAT math score is now in the top quarter nationally; Dorman Honors College enrollment increased 70 percent, totaling 685 with combined average SAT scores over 1,335 for fall 2011; articulation and joint admission agreements were negotiated with many of the area's specialized and community colleges.
"As the university proceeds to implement a major comprehensive fundraising campaign, Dr Bloom brings an understanding of the university, its history and contacts, and will provide the necessary continuity needed at this time," said Wielkopolski.
Current engineering faculty member and associate honors college dean Dr Atam Dhawan will become interim head of the Albert Dorman Honors College.
AT&T scientist Dr Mary Fernández gets HENAAC/Great Minds in STEM award
Dallas, TX – AT&T research scientist Mary Fernández, PhD, is a recipient of the 2011 award for outstanding technical achievement in industry from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC)/Great Minds in STEM (GMiS), the organization that focuses on educational awareness of careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Dr Fernández is executive director of distributed computing research at AT&T Labs, where she leads a research team focused on advancing design and development of complex distributed systems from cloud to mobile computing.
Ray Mellado, chair and CEO of Great Minds in STEM, noted that "Dr Fernández represents the best and brightest professionals in the technical world. In addition to her technical achievements, Dr Fernández also has an impressive record when it comes to giving her time to inspire future STEM professionals."
Fernández holds BS and MS degrees in CS from Brown University (Providence, RI) and a PhD in CS from Princeton University (Princeton, NJ). She is a leader in the nation's efforts to encourage minorities and women to pursue careers in science, and is chair of MentorNet (www.mentornet.net), the e-mentoring program for students in STEM fields.
Among the other HENAAC/GMiS awardees:
Engineer of the year: Rear Admiral Patrick H. Brady, commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR), U.S. Navy.
Executive excellence: Antonio Galindez, president and CEO, Dow AgroSciences; J. Frank Armijo, VP, energy solutions IS and global solutions, and president, mission support alliance, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Lifetime Achievement: Fernando Guarin, PhD, IEEE Fellow, senior engineer/scientist, semiconductor R&D center, IBM Microelectronics and Engineering, IBM.
Most promising engineer or scientist – graduate degree (doctoral): Vanessa Aponte, PhD, systems engineer senior, Orion crew exploration vehicle, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co, Lockheed Martin Corporation; Serena Maria Auńón, MD, PhD, NASA astronaut, NASA Johnson Space Center.
Most promising engineer or scientist – graduate degree (masters): Alejandro R. Diaz, systems engineer 4, commercial crew development program, the Boeing Company; Jimmy Lozano, dual gradient drilling engineer, Chevron North America exploration and production.
Most promising engineer or scientist – undergraduate degree: Guadalupe O. Delgado, Jr, manufacturing engineer, Northrop Grumman aerospace systems, Northrop Grumman Corp; Johan M. Vicioso, B-B1 lead automated test stations engineer, 410th supply chain management squadron, 638th supply chain management group, 448th supply chain management wing, Robbins Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force.
For a listing of all the 2011 HENAAC award winners, check out www.greatmindsinstem.org.
Metro-North Railroad college student internship program wants diversity
New York, NY – "Metro-North Railroad is committed to supporting the educational goals of women and minorities interested in careers in transportation," says a company spokesperson.
Recruitment is now under way for paid and unpaid internships at the railroad. Interns work in areas like capital engineering, information technology or operations.
Most internship assignments last eight to twelve weeks and are part time, up to thirty-five hours per week, either during the summer or during the school year if the intern's schedule allows. Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited college or university, be eighteen years or older and have valid authorization to work in the United States.
Apply on line at www.mta.info/mnr/html/internship.htm. Deadline dates for specific internships are noted on the application form.
TaggLynx connects Net users with like-minded surfers
 Syracuse, NY – An idea hatched by a small group of Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY) technology students and graduates in early 2011 has led to commercialization of a new browsing tool, TaggLynx (www.tagglynx.com). It's a Web-based system that links Web surfers with others who share their interests.
In 2010 a group of students led by Jerrell Perry and Joe Gennaro signed up for the intensive Syracuse Student Sandbox program. The program is under the wing of the Tech Garden business incubator in downtown Syracuse (www.thetechgarden.com).
Perry, who is African American, graduated from Syracuse in 2010 with a BS in information management. He's now chief project officer for the startup. "I absolutely give Syracuse University credit for this company," says Perry. "If it weren't for the school, we would not be doing this right now."
The TaggLynx app is displayed on a user's screen as a sidebar. Traditionally, when users roam through the Web and view websites of interest, they may note comments on the page or at a blog site. But it takes a social network like Twitter or Facebook for friends and colleagues to follow that loose trail of comments.
With the TaggLynx sidebar, users can view a site, and their friends can join them in real time, sharing comments while they browse. Each time a user references another site, friends are alerted and can join in.
Alfred University professor to receive Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers highest honor
 Alfred, NY – Olivia Graeve, associate professor of materials science in the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University, is this year's recipient of the Jaime Oaxaca award, the highest national award presented by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
The award was presented to Graeve at the Society's Technical Achievement Recognition (STAR) ceremony in Anaheim, CA this past October. The Jaime Oaxaca Award is given annually to recognize "selfless and outstanding contributions to the fields of engineering and science to the Hispanic community over an extended period of time."
Graeve joined the faculty of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University in the fall of 2008. She holds a PhD degree in materials science and engineering from the University of California-Davis, and a bachelors degree in structural engineering from the University of California-San Diego. Her research interest is the synthesis and processing of nanostructured materials, including ceramic and metallic nanomaterials and amorphous/ nanocrystalline composites.
"SHPE is pleased to be able to bring attention to the exceptional achievements by Hispanics across all STEM fields and industries," said SHPE CEO Pilar Montoya. "I congratulate all of our winners, who are extraordinary professionals and role models for Hispanic students."
Other honorees at the SHPE event include:
Junipero Serra award – Dr. Emir Jose Macari, California State University, Sacramento.
Company of the year – Exelon.
Community service – Rudolfo Loera, Northrop Grumman.
Professional role model – James Edward Valenzuela, Raytheon.
Student role model, undergraduate – Keith Roacho, U of Colorado.
Student role model, graduate – Paul Guillermo Arias, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Promising engineer – Daniel Lopez, Ford Motor Co.
SHPE star of tomorrow – Angel P. Uruchima, Chevron.
For the complete list, see www.shpe.org.
Bayer Scholars Program at DU continues effort to enhance diversity in sciences
 Pittsburgh, PA – The Bayer Scholars Program, in its third year at Duquesne University, welcomed three freshmen this fall as part of an initiative to enhance diversity in the academic setting and the scientific workforce.
The program, open to women and minority students, accepts academically talented and motivated freshman chemistry or environmental chemistry majors. This cooperative program was initiated in 2009, after the Bayer USA Foundation provided an $800,000 eight-year grant. There are currently ten participants.
Bayer Scholars receive four-year scholarship support, mentoring by Duquesne science faculty and Bayer professionals, funded summer research experiences at Duquesne, and paid summer internships at Bayer Material Science.
"At Bayer we understand that creating a diverse STEM workforce begins by educating a diverse STEM workforce," said Rebecca Lucore, executive director of the Bayer USA Foundation. "The Bayer Scholars Program is successfully attracting and retaining more of these students in the chemical and material sciences fields."
Applications for the 2012-13 program are due January 31, 2012. See www.duq.edu/science/bayer-scholars-program.cfm for more info.
Wayne State's GO-GIRL program aims to increase girls' interest in STEM education and careers
 Detroit, MI – Wayne State University's College of Education is reaching out to girls to increase their awareness and competence in STEM-related areas of study.
The GO-GIRL (Gaining Options-Girls Investigate Real Life) program, designed to promote interest in STEM-related careers and to boost mathematics skills and confidence in seventh-grade girls, is accepting applications through December 1, 2011 for the winter 2012 semester.
The ten-week Saturday program, hosted by the College of Education, will launch January 28 and culminate with graduation ceremonies April 28. GO-GIRL, which is held on Wayne State's main campus, is free and open to a limited number of seventh-grade female students. A professional staff of Wayne State faculty and students act as mentors and leaders.
Elise Lowell is a GO-GIRL alumna and current honors program student at Wayne State. Lowell is studying biology and hopes to pursue a career in research and academia.
"GO-GIRL was an excellent introduction into the science fields," said Lowell, a Grosse Pointe South High School graduate. "It was a great way to meet peers interested in the same subjects and get acquainted with Wayne State's campus. The experience was definitely beneficial; even waking up early on Saturday mornings was helpful to set a precedent of being a hardworking student."
Since GO-GIRL began in 2002 more than 600 middle school girls from public and private schools throughout Metro Detroit have participated. Application forms for the 2012 programs are available at www.gogirls.wayne.edu; application deadline is December 1. For more information, email Sally Roberts at gogirl@wayne.edu.
NSF awards fellowship to Draper co-op student
 Cambridge, MA – The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a graduate student research fellowship to Sarah Brown, a Northeastern University senior who will work to improve diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Brown is currently part of the co-op program at Draper. She will begin work on a PhD in electrical engineering at Northeastern this fall, while continuing her TBI and PTSD research at the laboratory as a Draper Lab fellow.
Linda Fuhrman, who oversees the Draper Lab Fellow (DLF) program as Draper's education director, described Brown as "not just an exceptional student, but also a leader and mentor in the community."
Draper Laboratory is a not-for-profit research organization dedicated to solving critical national problems. For more info, visit www.draper.com.
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