Industry-University Collaborative Conference Program (IUCCP)
April 2023-present
Spearheaded by Citlali Nieves Lira and Dr. Mackiewicz, Oregon State hosted its first Industry-University Collaborative Conference Program (IUCCP) in 2023 last April. IUCCP is designed to bring undergraduate and graduate students (domestic and international), industry representatives, faculty, and alumni together. This program is designed to build a much stronger connection to our alumni and industry partnerships that benefit our graduates. IUCCP was a 1-day conference packed with professional development (PD), networking opportunities, science communication, and interviews, ending with dinner and awards for student presenters. The strategic design of the IUCCP is modeled after a similar program from Texas A and M University, which has an incredibly strong network that places its graduates in top-tier industrial companies such as BSAF, Dupont, Merck, and Eastman. We plan to continue this program for at least the next 3 years, and we hope that by highlighting alumni and involving their participation in the department we will be able to build a strong beaver network here at OSU.
Ignite in STEM Summer Camp
Summer 2022-present
As part of Dr. Mackiewicz’s NSF CAREER award in 2022, she proposed to integrate authentic research experiences with career coaching and professional development to motivate and develop first-generation, low-income students from black and Hispanic communities. The lab group developed a 1-week Ignite inSTEM camp and partnered with the director of the STEM academy, Dr. Cathy Law, to help us recruit students locally to participate in this short-term research. The camp has 4 major development areas with learning outcomes which include 1) a mini-research experience, 2) career pathways, 3) professional development, and 4) advocacy. Participants spent 60% of their time on the mini-research experience and the other 40% learning professional development skills.
The idea behind the camp was to spark participant interests in nanomaterials design that could be used to solve a challenge in human health. Students learned how to synthesize and characterize several types of nanomaterials platforms on day 2 after training on day 1. Following this on day 3 they had their ideas of how they wanted to change the reaction conditions to change the material, which they were allowed to test out in teams of 2. On the last day, they learned how to make posters to communicate their understanding and ideas. The afternoon sessions of the week were reserved for team building and interactive professional development workshops focused on building skills in networking, negotiation, and communication. On the final day, nervous students were able to present their posters and network with OSU faculty, graduate students, and other undergraduates. Families were also invited to come to listen to their kids talk about what they learned and the significance of the work. Ignite inSTEM will continue to happen yearly at the beginning of the summer and by integrating professional development and scientific skills early, we hope to engage students from marginalized backgrounds in science and improve their retention in STEM to diversify the biomedical workforce.
Public Outreach and Engagement in Science
- Public presentation and Lab showcase: “Nano is cool” presentation to the incoming LSAMP Bridge Experience students, 2021
- Public presentation and demo: “Silver Nanomaterials and Their Applications” for Starlight Parade, 2018
- Public workshop: “Making things Smaller: Nanochemistry” for the Apprenticeship for Science Engineering, 2017
Mentoring Programs
MRM has worked with several programs on mentoring students in STEM. These programs consist of students that identify as first-generation, students with low socioeconomic status, varying racial and ethnic backgrounds, varying gender identities, and LGBTQ status. The number of students mentored is in parentheses.
- NSTMF inSTEM program (Howard, University, University of Texas Arlington, 3), 2021-present
- Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and the Arts (URSA, 4), 2020-present
- STEM leaders’ program at OSU (3), 2020-present
- Lois Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at OSU (1) , 2020-present
- NIH BUILD EXITO Enrichment Program (102), 2017-2020
- NIH BUILD EXITO Career Mentor (6), 2015-2020
- NIH BUILD EXITO Research Mentor (6), 2015-2020
- Ronald McNair Research Mentor (10), 2014-2021
- Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Research Mentor (2), 2014-2020