Student Success Update
Cub Camp Namesake
Congratulations to Eduardo Cerna, program director for the NSM Scholar Enrichment Program (SEP), on being chosen as a “namesake” for the 2022 Cub Camp. He is one of four namesakes for 2022.
As a namesake, Eduardo will have the opportunity to interact with the Fall 2022 cohort during the camp and throughout the year. Eduardo is an SEP and UH alum, and it is great for him to have this opportunity to impact our incoming students.
NSM Research Fair
Faculty research labs were showcased at the NSM Research Fair on April 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. in Farish Hall, KIVA room.
Over 70 NSM students interacted with faculty and members of their research groups to learn about ground-breaking research and opportunities for research positions in the labs. A special thanks goes out to the faculty and their group members who participated in the event. We look forward to your participation in the Research Fair next year.
teachHOUSTON Student Society Receives Campus Leaders Award
The teachHOUSTON Student Society received the Outstanding Program Award at the 37th Annual Campus Leaders Ceremony hosted by the Center for Student Involvement on April 20.
The award recognizes the Society’s Mentorship Pod Program (MPP), initiated during the pandemic (Fall 2020). The program’s goal is to support students in teachHOUSTON and NSM with their coursework and field experiences, and to provide overall mentoring to students new to campus. MPP has grown each semester and adjusted from remote to in person.
During the most recent semester (Spring 2022), MPP served 38 total students (16 mentors and 22 mentees). Since the MPP program began in Fall 2020, approximately 100 students have participated with 84% self-identified demographically as belonging to a minority population and 44% classified as first generation to attend college.
Math Career Panel
For students majoring in mathematics, career options outside teaching and academia are not always clearly apparent. To help math majors and minors gain insight into possible career paths and how to seek them, a career panel featuring mathematicians was held on April 13 from noon-1 p.m. via Teams.
Alumnus Michelle Pineda shared insights into applying math in the finance world. Pineda is currently a leader in the transformation of corporate finance functions. Dr. Bridget Kennedy, also a UH alumnus, shared the rich variety of career opportunities she has enjoyed over the years and demonstrated the flexibility in options a math degree provides. She is currently a senior lead scientist for Intelligent Automation. Dr. Alyssa Manis is an Orbital Debris Scientist serving as a project manager for Jacobs Technology Inc.’s NASA Johnson Space Center Engineering, Technology, and Science contract.
The Math Career Panel was organized in collaboration with the UH NASA Envoys partners who identified and secured the math experts for the event.