CEMS Student Organizations in Action: News from the Women+ Group, MRS, SFA, and GSC

CEMS student groups, including the Women+ Group, MRS Student Chapter, Science for All, and the Graduate Student Committee, have made remarkable contributions this year through their dedication to professional development, community building, and outreach. Read on to learn more about their impactful work.

Women+ Group

This year, the CEMS Women+ Group aimed to strengthen the pipeline of students from the U to the array of burgeoning local engineering companies. Women in various positions of leadership at the Henkel Corporation joined career panels for both undergraduate and graduate students where they shared job interview tips and their experiences working as engineers at the materials-oriented company. Not only did students get the opportunity to network with Henkel employees in a casual setting, but also, students learned how they can begin strengthening their resumes to stand out in the job market. Another effort to strengthen relationships with the alumni network involved the continuation of the mentoring program where CEMS students are assigned to and develop meaningful relationships with Women+ professionals working in a variety of industries throughout the country.

The CEMS Women+ Group is also now accepting and reviewing applications for the travel award intended to sponsor students to attend nontraditional conferences in support of future career paths.

While fostering connections beyond the university, CEMS Women+ organized events to strengthen relationships within CSE. The CEMS Women+ Group collaborated with the Women+ Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to host a Galentine's Day Lunch. Almost 70 women and non-binary graduate and undergraduate students in both departments gathered to celebrate sisterhood and platonic friendships. By sharing a pasta lunch and fun Galentine's Day cards, attendees were able to build community in a more casual and comfortable setting.

Materials Research Society (MRS) Student Chapter 

The MRS Student Chapter continued its Student Seminar Series this year to host research presentations from graduate students in both Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry. Sreejith Nair, Emma Pettit, Rupal Baliyan, the Student Seminar Team Leads, organized eight student speakers and provided light refreshments. Each speaker gave a research highlight presentation, broadly covering the relevance, major developments, and future directions of the research. This event was a great discussion and networking opportunity for an interdisciplinary audience. The MRS Student Chapter also collaborated with the GSC and the Women+ Group to host an oral exam panel for second year students. For upcoming events, the MRS Student Chapter plans to host a professional development workshop titled “Finding a Job at an Uncertain Time.” This event will be funded by the National Science Foundation. The MRS Student Chapter is open to students of all majors with the goal of providing materials researchers a place to connect and collaborate.

Science for All (SFA)

The “Science for All” (SFA) group, composed of College of Science and Engineering (CSE) graduate students, hosted a two-day on-campus site visit in May to celebrate a full school year of successful monthly science demonstrations at Andersen United Middle School, Heritage Academy, and Murray Middle School. SFA Co-Presidents and CEMS graduate students, Daniel Krajovic and Mayank Tanwar organized over 20 volunteers and 70 students from Andersen and Murray for the field trip series. First, SFA volunteers conducted science demonstrations about electrolysis and flame chemistry in the Valspar Lab. Daniel then led the students through a lab tour of the Hillmyer Labs. The visiting students also learned about the various career options in STEM over lunch with CSE graduate students and faculty members Matt Neurock and Kim Kosto. The event concluded with the visitors sampling ice cream made from liquid nitrogen and additional demonstrations regarding the effects of very cold temperatures on different materials (balloons, rubber bands, golf balls, and cheese puffs dipped in liquid nitrogen). It was a successful event and likely inspired some students to pursue science and engineering! More information and photos can be found on the SFA website. 

GSC

The Graduate Student Committee (GSC) hosted multiple events this past semester. Throughout January and February, the GSC continued its Quiet Workspace series, providing snacks, coffee, and a calmer working environment every week. This series invited everyone in the CEMS community, including second year students working on their written exams, students or post-doctoral scholars writing manuscripts, or anyone who wanted a quiet working environment to focus on their task at hand. Then, the group hosted celebratory Coffee and Bagel Hours in March to congratulate second-year students on submitting their written preliminary exams. Next, to prepare second-year students for their oral qualifying exam, the GSC collaborated with the Materials Research Society (MRS) chapter and the Women+ Group to host a student panel. The six panelists shared their advice for both preparing for and passing the exam, as well as answered questions during a lively Q&A session. The GSC looks forward to expanding upon these event series and future opportunities for bringing the CEMS graduate student community together.