NSM Faculty/Staff Newsletter

From the Office of the Dean

October 2023

Did You Know?

Need a New Headshot?

Schedule an updated headshot for your staff or faculty listing, LinkedIn, or Google Scholar profile. Schedule Mondays and Fridays with Chris Watts (cwatts@central.uh.edu).

Student Success Update

NSM Undergraduate Fall Enrollment Overview

For Fall 2023, NSM undergraduate enrollment has increased by 3.4% for headcount and 4.2% for SCH compared to Fall 2022. The NSM Student Success Team’s recruiting and onboarding efforts may be key factors leading to the increased enrollment.

Recruiting efforts included NSM Ambassadors attending 10+ TACRAO fairs across the Houston area to inform high school students about NSM academic and co-curricular programming. Also, the director of the TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy, Ashley Askew, and director of the Scholar Enrichment Program, Eduardo Cerna, visited over 10 schools to recruit students to the program.

Onboarding processes have also been improved as the NSM Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) worked in partnership with the UH Orientation Team, led by Tara Sass, to make the onboarding process more engaging for the College through a meeting for students and parents/supporters held on both days of orientation. The UAC Advisors used the new orientation dashboard to track and identify students who may need assistance with the enrollment process. Based on the dashboard, NSM enrolled 95% of students attending orientation which is a 2% increase over the numbers for Fall 2022. The NSM Student Success team is looking forward to the continued partnership with the UH Orientation Team and to the upcoming recruiting events for the 2024–2025 academic year.

Supporting Student Success through STEM Education-Based Research Programs

S-STEM PARENT Scholarship Program Scholars Attend National Meeting

Three NSM students and one faculty mentor from the UH NSF S-STEM PARENT Scholarship program were selected to attend the AAAS S-STEM Scholars Meeting in Washington, DC. The scholars presented posters on their research, participated in professional development workshops, attended informative plenary sessions, and attended a career fair where they learned about internships, summer research programs, graduate school preparation, resume preparation, and career planning.

S-STEM Scholars Scholars also participated in networking activities to connect with scholars and mentors from S-STEM programs across the U.S. NSM scholars attending were Judith Segovia Esparza, Cameron Ptak, and Emmanuel Emovon (all Biology majors). Segovia Esparza presented a poster on her research entitled “Fluorescent Reporters Protein Tracking SSR Regulated Lineage Markers in Nothobranchius furzeri.” Donna Stokes, the PI of the NSF grant program, attended the meeting, serving as a mentor to scholars and giving a presentation entitled “Financial Literacy: Getting Prepared for Your Future.”

Science and Math Mentoring Scholarship Program Kick Off Meeting

The Science and Math Mentoring Scholarship Program (SAMMs) kicked off on August 25 with a Meet Your Mentor event. The program, supported by an NSF S-STEM grant (PI Daniel Hauptvogel, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences), has a cohort of 12 NSM students (11 freshmen, 1 transfer) in physics, mathematics, and earth and atmospheric sciences. Students receive up to $10,000 in support based on the amount of their unmet financial need. In addition, the students meet twice a month with a discipline-specific mentor for support and to discuss information on research, careers, college success tips, and University resources.

Faculty mentors include Rebecca Forrest (Physics), Daniel Onefrei (Math) and Brandee Carlson (EAS). Recruitment will begin for the program’s second cohort in December. The grant will support two cohorts of 12 students for up to four years, providing both financial support, mentoring, and assistance in obtaining research experience at UH.

Office of First Year Programs Update - NSM Student Leadership Program

The NSM Student Leadership program is off to a great start for the Fall 2023 semester. Over 150 incoming freshmen have been assigned to a Student Leader Peer Mentor. Fall events, which are open to all students, faculty, and staff, are planned. Events include study nights for Calculus I and Chemistry I in partnership with the Scholar Enrichment Program and the Departments of Mathematics and Chemistry, volunteer events for Student Leaders and mentees, and community engagement/support workshops. Follow NSM First Year Programs on Instagram @NSMfirstyear for more details about the events.

  • Sept 11: Peer Mentors Volunteered at Houston Food Bank
  • Sept 18: Cal I Study Night
  • Sept 20: Chemistry I Study Night
  • Sept 30: Cougar Preview (recruiting event)
  • Oct 4: Mental Wellness Workshop
  • Oct 11: Cal I Study Night
  • Oct 16: Chemistry I Study Night
  • Oct 24: NSM Game Night
  • Oct 28: Cougar Preview (recruiting event)
  • Oct–Nov: TACRAO (High School) College Fairs

First Yeaer Programs Events

NSM Career Center Updates

The NSM Career Center hosted and participated in numerous events in the past months to promote and support student career success.

  • Career Counseling: Between Aug 23 and Sept 19, Career Counselor Lee Ann Lawrence completed the review of 432 resumes and cover letters and met with 62 students in one-on-one virtual counseling appointments. Additional documents and videos on topics such as cover letters, interviewing, and communicating with recruiters were added into a robust HireNSM Document Library, which provides students with a searchable and growing database of career resources. From Aug 1 through Sept 25, there were 1,654 unique student logins and 190 employers registered in the HireNSM system.
  • NSM Block Party: The Career Center sponsored a booth at the NSM Block Party on Aug 20. First-year students were introduced to the services offered by the Career Center, and students painted square tiles which will be used to form a collaborative art mural, including a cougar and the HireNSM logo, to be displayed in Science and Research 1 Building.
  • NSM Fall 2023 Employer Resume Review: On Aug 31, representatives from 10 companies, including NOV, Google, and Credera, and campus partners, including teachHOUSTON and NSM faculty and staff, provided expert guidance to 86 NSM majors on ways to structure and improve their resumes. Students also received “Five Essential Career Fair Tips,” a flyer customized for students’ classification, to help them prepare for the NSM Career Fair.
  • Prepare4theFair Workshops: On Sept 5, over 200 NSM students attended two virtual workshops to prepare for the Career Fair. Career Center Director Dawnelle Prince and Career Counselor Lee Ann Lawrence shared best practices, tips, and tricks on professional dress and body language, researching companies, and communicating with recruiters.
  • NSM and Computer Science Career Fair: On Sept 6, the Career Center hosted its first College-wide career fair with the support of corporate sponsor, TC Energy. Recruiters from 52 companies met with 973 students to discuss internship and employment opportunities. The four-hour event was supported by students, faculty, and staff volunteers from NSM units, including the Department of Computer Science.
  • Employer Information Sessions
    • Google’s STEP and Software Engineering Internships: On Aug 28, Google held a Pop-Up Information Session for over 50 students. Representatives also gave presentations in the introductory and upper-level classes (COSC 1437, 2436, and 3337) to inform students about their 12-week paid internships for freshmen and sophomores and their Student Training in Engineering and Software Engineering Internship programs for juniors and seniors.
    • Net App: On Sept 6, representatives from Net App hosted an information session, “Engaging with Employers After the Career Fair,” to provide students with information on engaging with recruiters, how to make yourself stand out from other students, and what to do to prepare for the interview process.
    • Stanford SLAC National Accelerator Lab: On Sept 7, UH Math & Physics Alumnus, Tri Duong, now an Accelerator Operations Engineer at SLAC, along with Chereace Marcellin, DEI Outreach Specialist, shared what makes every day exciting for scientists at the Nobel Prize-winning SLAC Lab. Twenty-seven students from physics, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and computer science learned about internships and job opportunities at SLAC.
    • EOG Resources: On Sept 18, representatives from EOG Resources, one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the U.S., provided information to 40 students on the role of information systems in the company’s operations and success. EOG conducted on-site interviews on Sept 19.
    • Information Sessions: On Sept 27, EA Sports recruiters met with the Career Center and College partners to discuss engagement and recruitment of NSM majors. The representatives also met with over 125 students to discuss internship/job opportunities at EA Sports.