Race, Gender and Modeling Success
New research suggests that when students have role models—professors and mentors—of the same race and gender in their field, it increases their chances of completing a degree. In his paper, " Analyzing the Factors That Influence Persistence Rates in STEM Field Majors," Joshua Price shows the strength of this influential factor . His work suggests that increasing minority faculty representation will increase retention among minorities. Price will present his findings at the Higher Education Research Institute conference in Cornell, the hub for interdisciplinary research on higher education. Access conference details and working papers now.
Blue Waters Internship
Seventeen undergraduate students will be selected to receive up to a $5000 stipend over the summer and academic year to attend a two-week intensive Petascale Institute at NCSA, May 23 through June 5, and support to attend the Supercomputing 2010 Education Program and conference in New Orleans. Click here to see the flyer, and visit the website for general information. Research Experience
The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project is a nine-week program for students to work collaboratively on computational science projects and learn how to use the most current cyberinfrastructure tools with individually designed training sessions. This program will run from May 31, 2010 through July 30, 2010. Each student will receive a stipend of $4,500, free housing in university dormitories, and up to $500 in travel expenses to and from Baton Rouge, LA. Click here for more info.
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AT&T and MentorNet's Launch Mission to the HBCUs
$75,000 grant will help MentorNet reach black engineering and science students
This week, AT&T announced that it is supporting MentorNet's goal to open its program to Schools of Engineering and Science at historically black colleges and universities. Dr. Porush, CEO of MentorNet, met with several deans of these schools at the Black Engineer of the Year Award ceremony in Baltimore, and the MentorNet team will pursue partnerships through the Association of Minorities in Engineering and with individual instituions throughout the coming year.
Click here to read the full press release.
Richard "Shrimp" (left) and protege Shelley "Shrimp" get key advice from Training Manager Saty Raghavachary at Dreamworks.
Don't Take 'No' For an Answer—With Style
Shelley "Shrimp" Dangoor learns some valuable lessons about persistence from her mentor, Richard Wolf
By Leila Armush, Media and Communications Consultant
Richard Wolf, one of our dedicated veteran mentors, has broken new ground in many directions. He has taken on several protégés simultaneously and made them into a team. In addition, he encourages a shadow day and added a valuable new lesson to the mentor’s curriculum: don’t take no for an answer, and do it with style.
“Team Shrimp” as Richard cleverly calls three MentorNet protégés and himself, share common questions while maintaining a confidential and supportive relationship with their mentor.
A retired entertainment engineer, Richard understands the challenges of getting the big break in the entertainment industry. “Thousands of applications are likely to hit the recycle bin before the ink is dry,” Richard says, noting that a career-making internship is a critical element of a student's success.
Fortunately for Shelley “Shrimp” Dangoor, a senior in mechanical engineering at Cal Poly, the feature film company Lola FX doesn't let applications sit in their recycle bin. They offered Shelley a paid internship with an award-winning special effects supervisor as her boss, working on a major budget feature film.
She now reports directly to Edson Williams, co-owner and special effects supervisor with multiple awards and credits in over 100 films. Shelley’s first assignment is on the production of "The Social Network", a major feature film currently in production, with Oscar-nominated director David Fincher.
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From the Vault: The Impact of MentorNet
Click on the video thumbnail above to watch heartfelt testimony about MentorNet's program—from professionals in industry and current college students.
Alejandra Velásquez, Director of Media and Communications
MentorNet Joins Global Marathon
MentorNet joined the engineering community in its annual Global Marathon, an extension of the National Engineers Week Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. MentorNet’s Alejandra Velásquez, Director of Media and Communications, conducted the Marathon’s first presentation on e-mentoring for girls interested in engineering and technology. The Global Marathon was one in a series of Eweek activities hosted by the National Engineers Week Foundation to increase the public’s understanding of engineering.
WEPAN Conference The Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) and the National Association for Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) will host their 4th joint conference at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD, April 12-14. This year’s conference theme “Setting Sail for the Future: Leveraging Diversity for a Stronger Crew” will investigate ideas that diversify the field of engineering through increasing the participation of women and minorities, and MentorNet will be onboard. Click here for more info, and be sure to check April's newsletter for details on MentorNet activities!
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