NSM Faculty/Staff Newsletter

From the Office of the Dean

May 2025

Did You Know?

NSM Staff Virtual Suggestion Box

Do you have a question, comment, concern, or suggestion to make something better here in NSM? Let us know using the NSM Staff Virtual Suggestion Box.

Student Success & Undergraduate Affairs Update

NSM Students Recognized at the Honors College Undergraduate Scholars and Major Awards Celebration

Honors College Undergraduate Scholars and Major Awards Celebration The Honors College held its annual Undergraduate Scholars and Major Awards Celebration on April 29 where 3 NSM students were recognized with the Outstanding Freshmen Award. The students were nominated by their Honors College instructors for demonstrating qualities of academic excellence, leadership and dedication.

NSM Academic College Showcase

On April 26th the Office of First Year Programs, in partnership with the Office of Admissions, co-hosted an Academic College Showcase during UH Official Coogs Day which allows future Coogs to connect with peers, faculty and staff at the university and within their college. The agenda included a college presentation, a peer panel, and a “choose your own adventure” option, where guests could select to participate in the following:

  • Department overviews with Dr. Greg Morrison (Physics) or Dr. Crystal Young (Chemistry);
  • A lab tour with Dr. Shojun Xu (Chemistry);
  • Physics demos with Dr. Karoline Mueller (TcSUH);
  • A visit to the Observatory with the Astronomy Society or
  • A mix and mingle with NSM student organizations and undergraduate researchers.

A special thanks goes out to the faculty, staff and students who help make the event a success!

teachHOUSTON Updates

Recruiting

  • On April 26, 2025, Dr. Ekeoba attended the Pasadena Independent School District job fair to promote and recruit the teachHOUSTON program.
  • On April 23, 2025, Mr. KaDarrius James, teachHOUSTON Program Director, hosted a tabling event to promote and recruit computer science majors and inform them about the programs offered. Also on April 23, 2025, Dr. Ekeoba attended the Best Hire job fair to promote and recruit the teachHOUSTON program.
  • On April 9, 2025, Dr. Garza attended the Houston Community College- Northline Campus All Major Career Fair to promote and recruit for the teachHOUSTON program.
  • On April 5, 2025, Dr. Ekeoba attended the Fort Bend Independent School District job fair to promote and recruit the teachHOUSTON program.
  • On April 3, 2025, Dr. Paige Evans and Dr. Karen McIntush hosted an informational session for students in computer science. Two students majoring in computer science and teachHOUSTON shared their experiences in the program and their excitement about working with 7-12th grade students.

Events

  • On April 4th, the teachHOUSTON team hosted a luncheon for local school district partners. teachHOUSTON students held a gallery walk to present example of math and science lessons to the visiting district personnel. Program faculty and staff highlighting the different certification pathways and program offerings through teachHOUSTON.
  • On April 10, 2025, four teachHOUSTON students presented their faculty-mentored research topics. Samson Stern with a poster titled: Changing Careers, Changing Classrooms: How CCSTs are Reshaping Classrooms with teachHOUSTON, mentored by Dr. Karen McIntush. Angelique Tagaban with a poster titled: The Perceptions of Teaching Among Natural Science and Mathematics Majors, mentored by Dr. Virginia Snodgrass-Rangel. Maryan Mukhatarov with a poster titled: Investigating the role of Relish over-expression in sex-specific aging in Drosophila melanogaster, mentored by Dr. Richard Meisel in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. Arshiya Yasin with a poster titled: Mapping Houston’s Old Chinatown, mentored by Dr. Melody Yunzi Li and Dr. Guadalupe San Miguel.

Teacher Professional Development

  • On April 5, teachHOUSTON hosted the third monthly Saturday professional development day for 15 Master Teacher Fellows for the NSF Developing STEM Teacher Leaders in Culturally Responsive Classroom Management and Induction (STEM-Lead) Program.
  • On April 11, teachHOUSTON hosted a Teacher Interest Group (TIG) for preservice secondary teachers as part of the University of Houston, NSF Advancing Cultural and Computational Engagement in STEM Scholars (UH-ACCESS program. Mr. Marlo Diosomito, a teacher in Houston Independent School District, presented on “Igniting Inquiry: Practical Pedagogy for Igniting Tomorrow’s STEM Educators.” The session provided guidance, support and opportunities to help preservice teachers connect to their communities.

Conference Presentations

  • Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers
    • Dr. Paige Evans delivered the Plenary session Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers conference held at the University of Houston on April 4. Her presentation titled: Strengthening Physics Education: Preparing, Supporting, and Retaining Outstanding Teachers, focused on the need to prepare physics educators.
  • American Educational Research Association (AERA)
    • Numerous teachHOUSTON and affiliated faculty presented research talks at the AERA conference which focusses on highlighting education based research. Drs. Paige Evans, Karen McIntush, and Karla Adelina Garza presented at the Invisible College for Research on Teaching the day before the official start of the AERA conference. The presentation, given on April 22, was titled “Collaborating with Early Career STEM Teachers Through an Enhanced Induction and Mentoring Model.” Later in the week, Dr. Karen McIntush, and Ramona Mateer, presented a session at AERA titled “Revisiting Culturally Responsive Classroom Management after 20 years: Collaborating to Inspire Future Research” on April 24. In addition, on April 26, Drs. Karen McIntush, Virginia Snodgrass-Rangel, and Paige Evans presented their session titled STEM Career Changers Classroom Management Development After a Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Course: A Qualitative Analysis.
    • On the final day of the conference, April 27, Drs. Paige Evans, Karen McIntush, Donna Stokes, and Karla Adelina Garza gave a presentation titled “Enhancing STEM Teacher Preparation through Knowledge Communities” during the Invisible Colleges symposium.

Recognition & Awards

  • Members of the teachHOUSTON team: Dr. Paige Evans, Dr. Karen McIntush, Dr. Mariam Manuel, Dr. Jacqueline Ekeoba, Amanda Campos and Ramona Mateer, were awarded the President’s Circle Award: University of Houston, 2025 for receiving major grant awards.
  • Dr. Paige Evans and Dr. Mariam Manuel (NSM at-large senator) were elected to serve on the UH Faculty Senate.
  • Dr. Mariam Manuel received the Teaching Excellence Award (Category 4: Instructional/ Clinical).
  • Dr. Karen McIntush completed her three-year term as Treasurer for the Classroom Management Special Interest Group (SIG) and Dr. Karla Adelina Garza was elected to serve as the next treasurer.

Office of First Year Program (OFYP) Updates

The OFYP participated in numerous activities related to recruitment, transition and retention including:

  • March 29 - Academic College Session during Cougar Preview
  • April 4 - Academic Information Session to introduce prospective students to the College
  • April 16 - tabling session at the FIRST Robotic Competition National Championships at the George R. Brown Convention Center
  • Continue Welcome & Next Steps email campaign to Summer and Fall 2025 admits
  • April 2 - completed a Call Campaign to admitted students receiving the UH Academic Excellence Scholarship
  • April 11- field trip for NSN first-year students to the Texas Medical Center where students enjoyed a 45-minute tour and participated in a lunch & learn panel discussion with TMC Innovation
  • April 28 - First-Year Finale held to celebrate the accomplishments and community of the NSM first-year students. Thirteen students received the Dean’s First-Year Excellence Award.

Student Leadership Team (SLT) Program

31 students were selected to join 15 current SLT members for the 2025-2026 academic year. A welcome banquet was held April 24th to celebrate the incoming SLT cohort.

Events

  • Mentor Program Social at The Bumpy Pickle on Friday, April 4th provided an opportunity for SLT mentors and mentees to connect.
  • Study Nights to support students’ success in foundational STEM courses:
    • Calculus I, hosted on April 15th, where 13 students attended.
    • Chemistry I, hosted on April 17th, where 34 students attended.
  • SLT hosted a Mentorship Social at The Bumpy Pickle on Friday, April 4th, as an opportunity for our mentors and mentees to connect during the last month of the semester. 6 students attended.
  • The OFYP hosted Student Leadership Appreciation Week on Monday, April 14th through Friday, April 18th to thank the SLT for all of their hard work and dedication to the College. Activities included writing each other thank you notes, a baby picture wall to guess who is who, a virtual shout-out, a professional development Lunch & Learn with the NSM Career Center on LinkedIn and building one’s professional online brand, and coffee and conversations at The Nook.

Career Center Updates

Events

On March 27, 2025, the NSM Career Center, in partnership with U.S. Army MEDD, hosted a university-wide Pre-Med Emergency Preparedness Event, providing 127 students with hands-on emergency medical training. Led by Director Dawnelle Prince and Student Directors Darrell Salako and Julia Fontana Pedrosa de Almeida, the event offered experiential learning to NSM and non-NSM students.

Despite inclement weather, the event was successfully relocated to the Rec Center under the direction of Associate Director Lee Ann Lawrence and Assistant Dean Donna Pattison, where U.S. Army medics led workshops on airway obstruction, “Stop the Bleed,” and triage. The highlight was the AS5 Medical Marketing Semi Exhibit, drawing 140 visitors with VR simulations and interactive demos.

Programming also included a Healthcare Professions Panel moderated by Col. LaTonya Walker, featuring Army medical professionals and information on the F. Edward Hebert Health Professions Scholarship. A keynote by Col. Christopher Mitchell, Army Emergency Medicine expert, inspired students with insights into service and medical leadership. A VIP luncheon and student networking opportunities with AMEDD recruiters and UH College of Medicine followed the address.

The day concluded with a disaster response simulation led by AMEDD, with support from Dr. Steven Butler and Kathleen Gullion of the Fertitta Family Medical School Simulation Team. NSM volunteers and UH Theatre students portrayed earthquake victims using realistic moulage and guided acting techniques. Students applied triage protocols and core emergency response principles in team settings, with real-time support from Army medics.

All participants received a certificate in NSM Emergency Response Training, and one student won a stethoscope giveaway. This large-scale event, a year in planning, was made possible by 22 volunteers, NSMCC staff, and key partners including Army MEDD, UH ROTC, Veteran Services, and NSM faculty and staff.

Workshops and Information Sessions

  • Dr. Jeremy May and NSMCC Director Dawnelle Prince led the “Networking for Graduate Students” workshop. The session provided graduate students with strategic tools for building professional connections in academia and industry.
  • On April 15, Dawnelle Prince delivered a tailored workshop for the Living Learning Community, introducing students to the full range of career development services.
  • The Department of Defense sponsored a virtual information session on the SMART Scholarship for Service program. The session detailed scholarship benefits, eligibility criteria, and the application process for students interested in careers in federal research.

Corporate Connections

  • April 21- Met with Yuri Alencar, the new Head of Research and Development at DOW, during the UH focal meeting to explore expanded collaboration opportunities.
  • April 23 - Reconnected with Allie Buckmaster from Credera, one of the original supporters of our Internship Bootcamp, to discuss continued support and new avenues for student engagement.
  • April 23 - Initiated a strategic conversation with Shavonne Fuller-Modeste from ENGIE to develop an Academic Relations Partnership.

Career Counseling

  • Associate Director Lee Ann Lawrence reached a major milestone, conducting over 500 one-on-one virtual career counseling sessions and reviewing more than 2,500 student resumes. Each student receives a personalized Career Action Plan.
  • The Pathways Program, a career readiness certification initiative, has seen a notable increase in student engagement following a targeted social media campaign led by recently hired part-time Media Director, Samantha Lane. Students from Biology, Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics have successfully completed Module I: Choosing a Career Path and Professionalism. A special recognition goes to Jake Shwartz, a senior majoring in Computer Science, who became the first student to complete Module II, focused on resume and cover letter writing.