NSM Faculty/Staff Newsletter

From the Office of the Dean

January 2025

Did You Know?

Faculty/Staff: Submit Your Honors/Achievements

Did you recently receive an award, publish a paper? Present at a conference or complete a certification or degree? Let us know by completing the NSM Honors/Achievements Form. The information will be used in the Recognition & Honors section of the Faculty/Staff Newsletter.

Student Success Update

Spring 2025 Enrollment Overview

NSM course enrollment based on semester credit hours (SCH) is up by 3.38%, and NSM major headcount is up 2.24% compared to enrollment at this time in Spring 2024.

Volunteers Needed for NSM Recruitment Events!

During the Spring 2025 semester, NSM’s Office of First Year Programs will host several events designed to encourage students admitted to UH NSM to enroll for Fall 2025. During these events, students will attend information sessions and tour NSM facilities.

Departmental representatives (faculty, postdocs, research and teaching assistants, etc.) are invited to showcase their research and/or relevant facilities/technologies. Many of you and members of your research groups have volunteered for these events in the past, and we encourage you and new volunteers to participate in this year’s events. Below is a summary of the events and links to sign up to volunteer.

NSMeet, Annual NSM Spring Open House, To Be Held Saturday, February 1

NSMeet welcomes admitted first-year and transfer students to engage with faculty, connect with current NSM students, network with student organizations, tour cutting-edge research laboratories, and explore professional development opportunities available through the College. Invitations were sent to 343 applicants with exceptional admissions applications and included select Academic Excellence Scholarship recipients.

CLICK HERE to participate in NSMeet.

Academic Information Sessions - Held Monthly from January to May

CLICK HERE to get a complete listing of dates/times when volunteers are needed and to sign up.

Spring Graduation Check Event

The NSM Undergraduate Advising Center hosted a virtual Graduation Check event during December through early January for Spring 2025 graduates. Over 500 students submitted requests to have their record reviewed for Spring 2025 graduation. The event aims to improve graduation rates. Students can secure a graduation check while the enrollment cycle remains open for course adjustments to ensure completion of the degree in Spring 2025.

Coffee and Conversation Events Aim to Promote Community in NSM

The Office of First Year Programs (OFYP) hosted three Coffee & Conversations events in the Fall semester. These events provide an informal opportunity for first-year and first-semester-transfer students to connect casually with their classmates and departmental professors about class and research interests. The following events were held:

  • November 14, Department of Mathematics (7 students and 3 faculty attended)
  • November 19, Department of Biology & Biochemistry (16 students and 3 faculty attended)
  • November 20, Department of Computer Science (19 students and 7 faculty attended)

The OFYP would like to thank all faculty and staff who participated in the events to make them a success. This was the first time offering such an event, and the feedback from both students and faculty was positive. Coffee & Conversation events will be held in Spring 2025 for the Departments of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry. The OFYP plans to grow the program to promote community engagement among NSM faculty, staff, and students.

Mathematics/teachHOUSTON Students Lead Professional Development for NSM TAs

Attendees

On November 21, undergraduate mathematics/teachHOUSTON students William Huang, Michelle Nguyen, and Angelique Tagaban facilitated a professional development session on Student-Centered Learning for NSM Teaching Assistants. Guided by Drs. Mariam Manuel and Jennifer May, the session engaged 15 TAs from across NSM departments in meaningful discussions on topics such as student engagement, wait time, and formative assessments. The workshop concluded with a dynamic conversation about the use of AI in education, featuring diverse perspectives from faculty, TAs, and undergraduates. This session was part of a broader series of workshops developed collaboratively by Drs. Manuel and May, Mathematics Ph.D. candidate Lukasz Krzywon, and teachHOUSTON undergraduate Mathematics students to promote innovative and inclusive teaching practices. Two additional sessions in this series are planned for Spring 2025.

Office of First Year Programs (OFYP) Updates

Recruitment

  • The OFYP participated in the final Cougar Preview of the Fall semester on November 16. Approximately 72 students and 96 guests attended.
  • The OFYP partnered with NSM Special Programs for a Day of Discovery event on November 8, offering 3 Student Leadership Team members to assist with tours.
  • The OFYP hosted Fort Bend ISD Math & Science Academy for a campus visit in partnership with the Cullen College of Engineering on November 13. Approximately 35 students and 2 counselors attended.

Retention

  • On November 5, the OFYP attended the UH Health Professions Advising’s Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Information Session to learn more about how to (generally) communicate information about health professions aspirations to prospective students. Questions related to these professional tracks are common when speaking to prospective students at recruiting events.
  • The OFYP hosted its first field trip on November 26, with an excursion to Houston Museum of Natural Science. The agenda included viewing the permanent exhibits, participating in a photo competition, and gathering at Fia’s Pizzeria to build community over our individual and collective experiences. The field trip capacity limit (20 students) was achieved; 5 students attended.
  • The OFYP hosted its “Sweet Celebration” event on December 3 and 5 for first-year and first-semester-transfer students participating in the Peer Mentorship Program. This event welcomed mentors and mentees to meet at Shasta’s Cones between finals to connect and reflect on their accomplishments in the first semester.

Student Leadership Team (SLT) Program

  • The OFYP’s Student Leadership Team (SLT) hosted their final Study Night events for the Fall semester for Calculus I on November 12 and Chemistry I on November 14. Study nights will continue to be offered for these courses throughout the Spring 2025 semester.
  • SLT mentors and their mentees participated in the Walk for Alzheimer’s on November 9.
  • Three SLT members graduated in Fall 2024 and were celebrated at the SLT meeting.
  • A mid-year survey was distributed to mentors and mentees participating in the OFYP’s Peer Mentorship Program to learn more about their experiences. Feedback indicates that mentor-mentee pairing based on academic interest is appropriate, that the number of communications and meetings scheduled by mentors is appropriate, and that more social opportunities to meet other mentees is desired. The program serves over 150 mentees. OFYP aims to grow this program annually.

UH STEM Center Updates

In December, the UH STEM Center reached over 1,300 K-12 students across the Houston area, providing hands-on STEM learning through sports.

On December 7, the ConocoPhillips STEMZONE Saturday program brought students together to engage with ConocoPhillips engineers, who shared their inspiring career stories and introduced students to various engineering fields. Participants also visited STEM stations led by UH student organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Cougar Racing. At these stations, students built mini race cars, explored Cougar Racing’s hand-built race car, and took part in ASME-led STEM activities.

On December 17, UH STEM Center, in partnership with ConocoPhillips and UH Athletics, hosted the ConocoPhillips STEMZONE Gameday, which welcomed 1,200 K-12 students from Houston and Galveston schools. The event featured seven interactive sport-themed STEM stations, including activities like dribbling, heart rate monitoring, free throws, material science, and thermal imaging. Collaborating with the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH and XrossOver Sports, UH STEM Center gave students an immersive STEM experience through basketball. The event also included STEM and basketball trivia to intellectually challenge participants throughout the day.

teachHOUSTON Updates

  • Paper Accepted - A paper titled Secondary Urban STEM Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of a Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Course: A Qualitative Analysis, written by Karen E. McIntush, Ramona Mateer, and Paige K. Evans, was accepted to the UTeach special edition of New Directions in Teaching and Learning. It will be published in early spring 2025.
  • Teacher Interest Group - On November 15, teachHOUSTON hosted a Teacher Interest Group (TIG) facilitated by Dr. Karla Garza for preservice secondary STEM Teachers as part of the UH Advancing Cultural and Computational Engagement in STEM Scholars (UH-ACCESS) NSF grant program. The TIG meetings offer support and opportunities to preservice teachers who serve underrepresented student populations and help them to connect to their communities. Amanda Campos, teachHOUSTON faculty, and Susan Holznecht, teachHOUSTON Master Teacher Fellow, presented on engaging students in inquiry lessons in the math and science classrooms.

NSM Career Center Updates

Employer Engagement

  • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) - Recruiters from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by Stanford University, were on campus in November with an Employer Pop-up and over 50 students attended the Information Session.
  • Meta - Recruiters from Meta held an Information Session and Hackathon to engage NSM students.
  • Goldman Sachs - Talent acquisition specialists from Goldman Sachs held a Pop-up and Information Session for students. Goldman Sachs also participated in the NSM Internship Bootcamp.

NSM Internship Bootcamp

The NSM Internship Bootcamp was held on November 9 in Farish Hall. Seventy-five students engaged with current and retired representatives from Google, Shell, NASA, Electronic Arts, Goldman Sachs, Stanford’s SLAC Lab, the EPA, Occidental, and others. Through TED Talks and interactive sessions, students learned best practices regarding all facets of identifying internship opportunities. In addition to 1:1 mentoring by employers, students participated in a Q&A Employer Panel, LinkedIn/Resume Writing 101, mock interviews, and networking games. Raising Cane’s sponsored lunch. After a full day of activities, three lucky students won door prizes, including a free Princeton MCAT Review and high-tech wireless earbuds.

Outreach to NSM Graduates

Fall 2024 graduates who completed the NSM Graduation Survey received a free red graduation cord to wear during commencement. Students picked up cords during four pickup times where they were greeted by NSM Career Counselor Lee Ann Lawrence and the Student Directors. Students also received NSM Career Center swag, information regarding one year of free career support services, and tips for job searching. At NSM commencement, Director Dawnelle Prince and the Student Directors continued to encourage students to complete the survey. A total of 548 surveys have been completed by NSM Fall graduates.

All NSM seniors received an email with an information brochure, “Graduation Exit Strategies,” containing multiple resources on how to successfully transition from college to the professional world, tips on relocating, and best practices in personal finance. Of the 1,896 seniors who opened the email, the most popular resource was “Adulting 101.”