Student Success Update
Volunteer Opportunities Supporting Student Success
Faculty, Grad Student, and Postdoc Volunteers Needed for Recruitment and Outreach Events
Engage future Coogs by serving as an NSM Recruitment, Outreach, and Visit Experiences Representative (NSM-ROVER) at recruitment and outreach events. As an NSM-ROVER, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with potential students and their families during information sessions, open houses, and campus tours by providing lab tours, giving presentations, hosting demonstrations—how you participate is up to you! Volunteers will receive an NSM t-shirt and opportunities to inspire future scientists while increasing the visibility of their departments. Please contact the Office of First Year Programs (nsmyear1@central.uh.edu) for questions and details. We look forward to collaborating with you!
SIGN-UP by August 1 to Secure Your Spot
Volunteers Needed for Block Party, Sunday, August 18
Connect with our newest NSM Coogs at our Block Party on Sunday, August 18, from 7-9 p.m. at The Rotunda (between SERC, SEC, & SR-1)! Block Party welcomes first-year and transfer students to the College and serves as a kick-off celebration for the Fall semester by offering opportunities to connect with faculty, staff, student organizations, and peers before classes start. This fun-filled event features an evening of games, interactive activities, free food, and giveaways!
Consider volunteering to facilitate activity stations to help foster a welcoming community for our incoming Coogs. Meet your newest students, grab a meal on us, and get yourself this year’s NSM t-shirt! Please contact the Office of First Year Programs (nsmyear1@central.uh.edu) for questions and details. We thank you in advance for your support in making this event a success!
SIGN-UP by August 5 to Volunteer
Office of First Year Programs (OFYP) Updates
Recruitment, Admissions, and Retention
Recruitment
- The OFYP, the NSM Office of Special Programs, and the Cullen College of Engineering partnered to host potential transfer students (approximately 45) from Palo Alto College’s TRiO Upward Bound Program on June 27 for a campus visit experience including recruitment presentations, a STEM student panel, and lunch.
- On June 26, the OFYP met with Office of Enrollment Services Communication & Marketing to discuss related ideas and strategies for using Slate, a communications software, to track information requests and recruitment leads.
Orientation/Transition
- NSM’s goal for Fall 2024 admissions is to increase new student enrollment by 2-3% over that of Fall 2023. To support this, the OFYP continues outreach to newly admitted NSM students to provide important information regarding orientation, Math Placement Exam, and upcoming College engagement events (e.g., NSM’s Peer Mentorship Program, Block Party). The OFYP also monitors the Math Placement Exam completion by sending a reminder email and assisting with questions during orientation as completion of the exam is an important step in the registration process.
- The OFYP continues to facilitate College Engagement sessions during orientation. During this time, students can connect with their classmates, be introduced to NSM’s student support services and resources, and hear from a student panel.
- The OFYP assisted Student Housing & Residential Life in promoting the new NSM Living-Learning Community to first-time-in-college students via email and text campaigns as well as in person at College Engagement sessions during orientation. Approximately 10 students have accepted to participate in this new residential opportunity.
Retention
- The OFYP is exploring possibilities for tracking student engagement in OFYP events. On June 13, OFYP met with Bauer College of Business, and on June 26, OFYP met with the Center for Student Involvement to discuss possible platform options and related ideas.
Student Leadership Team (SLT) Program
- The NSM Student Leadership Program has selected its new cohort of leaders for the 2024-2025 academic year. Student leaders serve on one of the three branches — ambassadors, peer mentors, and programming board — to support student engagement in NSM. This year, the OFYP collaborated with Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and Physics to increase visibility and engagement of students from these departments in program activities. See the NSM SLT Program website for more details.
teachHOUSTON Updates
STEM RISE Program Recognized by Insight into Diversity Magazine
Congratulations to the UH STEM RISE Program for being recognized with a 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight into Diversity Magazine. The STEM RISE program is a partnership between the NSM, teachHOUSTON, the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, and Jack Yates High School in Houston’s Third Ward. The program, in its third year, is providing opportunities for high school students to gain exposure to STEM research.It is led by directors Mariam Manuel and Jackie Ekeoba (teachHOUSTON/Mathematics) and Michelle A. Carroll Turpin (Fertitta Family College of Medicine). Thomas Thesen, now at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, was also one of the directors who helped lay the groundwork for the program’s success.
NSF Sponsored STEM RISE and RESET in STEM Programs Kick Off
The STEM RISE and RESET in STEM Program officially began its research lab experience on June 20, providing authentic research opportunities to undergraduate and high school students from the Third Ward and surrounding neighborhoods. Prior to this, a Mentors’ Institute was held the week of June 10, offering professional development for undergraduate and graduate mentors. This institute focused on culturally responsive mentorship through sessions led by guest speakers from the local community.
This marks the third year of the NSF STEM RISE program and the inaugural year of NSF RESET in STEM, a new initiative born out of the success of STEM RISE. Both programs aim to address systemic barriers that hinder economically and socially disadvantaged students’ access to STEM education and to foster authentic community partnerships. For summer 2024, the two NSF-supported projects provided nearly $100K in summer support to 21 undergraduate students and over $30K in support to 13 high school students.
STEM RISE and RESET in STEM provides research lab experiences for high school students in the Third Ward area, with mentorship from undergraduate STEM majors—primarily teachHOUSTON students—and graduate students, including rising second-year students from the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. Participants work in seven research labs across the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and NSM under the supervision of:
- Tameka Clemons, Fertitta Family College of Medicine
- David Raskin, Fertitta Family College of Medicine
- Heather Dial, Speech, Language, Aphasia, and the Brain Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Molly Albecker, NSM, Department of Biology & Biochemistry
- Chin-Yo Lin, NSM, Department of Biology & Biochemistry
- Preethi Gunaratne, NSM, Department of Biology & Biochemistry
- Mim Rahimi, Cullen College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
The culmination of their research efforts will be presented at the STEM RISE and RESET in STEM Research Symposium at 10 am on Saturday, July 27, at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.