Overview of SEAS Diversity Programs

OK, so I see my.

Um?

Yeah, I'm still the only participant.

So somehow you gotta connect to the web and R.

Ah.

OK.

Control now see. Yeah it works.

Oh

You hear me, yeah, I hear you.

It's working now. It works on Chrome. Oh, OK.

So I see your side OK.

Alright, so that's good to know that yet you should be in Chrome.

OK, and then will use the one that Jenn gave us.

And then all the students. OK, Yeah, 'cause now I see participants too OK.

Um and so all the participants should be able to log in with whatever credentials they received from you be.

Right?

And so I'm gonna go through the UM.

The web and not you know the slides. And then, um, there's one here. There's a couple slides for polo.

Oh

Oh here so I've got a slide for him and I've also got a slide of his poster.

Oh, and then I'm gonna, you know, ask him to say a few things about you know.

His you know his summer experience, the research that he did. You know the fact that he's doing research now with a professor?

Um?

Oh that he come.

There he go on study abroad.

Do we pay for him to go first to study abroad?

I.

Hello.

Number.

Latino guy.

Oh Harrison and um.

Uh, a KIRO.

Harrison Akhira Depalo I have to ask him if he if he did study abroad and you know and got an award from us 'cause I can't remember.

But yeah, he you know I'll give him a chance to talk about.

His uhm, you know stuff I'll go through, you know LS am. I'll tell the students that they want to apply before they arrive in the fall. They can just use the regular application and that summer applications are really available until December.

OK, I'll talk a little bit about our partnership with lesbian ship and then that'll be it.

I know you got it.

Yeah, so they figured, uhm.

I think what they were figuring is like 45 minutes for.

The slides themselves, and then you know time for question and answer.

Although we've gotten so, um, Shannon sent me a uhm.

Um, a spreadsheet of everybody who will a register and there were like 4 questions on here. One of 'em was how you be intended to fill in the educational gap between majority of white students that can afford top education their whole lives.

She means versus, but she wrote virus, but minority of Blacks and Hispanics inner city kids that have always had a poor education. Furthermore, what resources and opportunities will I have if I seem to feel out of place or just lossed?

So I'll talk about Simonism an you know our office, but the educational gap I'm going to see if they can tell me if she's elp or not. Because if the student is EOP, you know they'll get some uhm.

You know they'll get some information, they'll get some resources through EOP. Other than that, you know that's a very good question. I mean, I'll talk about, uhm, you know we have tutoring on campus, but I don't know what they do for students who. Uhm, I know they used to have something where they would, uh, give students computers.

It was cost snap.

But I don't know if they if they. If they still do that or not.

Um, so she asked a very good question, so I'm gonna have to find, you know, some answers.

I will be able to, you know, fill in the report.

Along with the additional programs like.

And things like that.

But the Federal Street in our stars are using visor, so they could provide resources to serve in those educational gap and then we.

Yeah.

Yeah, and and you know part of what we do too is steer students toward resources, right? So you know like.

She had various programs.

Applied

All those things.

Outside

Yeah, so she's elp or Acker. You know she'll have or ace.

She'll have any of those three.

I mean it would. It would be. I'm gonna still try to find out from Shannon how you know if.

If if this student is elp, because if she's the opi, then that answers that question. They will provide her with everything she needs.

Somebody also asked what places are available for study abroad. I do have a couple of slides about study abroad.

Um, is there financial assistance stored tuition when you're in this program, the answer is new up and then somebody was asking about aerospace opportunities and research, and I have a slide about Nano set in there so.

I've answered, but So what I'm gonna need you to do, um or or and Shannon may be on the call. I don't know. She's just going to be there in the beginning or she's gonna be on there for the entire call. But somebody to monitor the chat.

To see what questions students have.

OK, yeah.

Yeah.

OK, and and if it's something you can answer, you know, uhm, you know go ahead and then I can fill in anything that is needed. But you know. So if we're talking and you say, Oh, we have a question about you, know financial aid and you know the questions about financial aid is always you have to, you know, talk to the financial aid office.

On the only thing that usually I answer is you know if a student does have work study that we can, you know, assist them with finding you know a job on campus or maybe doing work with the professor, something like that.

Uh.

But Yes, although so there were four questions that people ask ahead of time, and I'm assuming as we're chatting along, there will be more questions.

OK from you.

I know a lot of times when people are talking they don't watch them. You know, the chat room, and so I'll just.

Question.

Yeah, Yep and um.

And you know, I'm going to give Paulo a chance, you know, to talk, you know, during his two slides about you know students like to hear from other students and then something Shannon told me at the end is once we're done.

Sometimes the students stay on and keep chatting.

But we you know once we're done an, we're finished and you know I, I'll hang around, you know in case other people you know have other questions. But she said once you're done, you have to completely close your browser or else, I guess the students can still see you.

'cause somebody you know thought that they had signed out of the event an and they were checking their email or whatever and the students could still see them.

So.

But yeah, go over. Take a look at that, UM, PowerPoint.

That Shannon sent to us, you know, with all the information on the training is about 10 slides.

OK.

And then a Shannon says she'll be on um.

What does she say? 15 minutes. I think she said she'd be on 15 minutes beforehand.

Blah blah blah blah blah.

Oh oh, she'll be on 10 to 15 minutes early on Thursday, so she said she'll be on it by 9:45.

OK.

And so we want to make sure you know I'm gonna get on early too to make sure we're doing everything OK.

Do I have to wait for you?

I don't think so.

OK.

Yeah, as long because the event is already scheduled and it was. It was a schedule by me. It was scheduled by somebody else, the only the only reason I'm going to be the host is because I'm controlling the slides.

Because I I sent her the slides last night in and those were the ones that she had uploaded already into our event.

OK.

So OK, well, hopefully you'll be able to do this from your laptop.

Rabbit on my way home. OK, 'cause This is a web based thing so.

Hopefully you don't need any extra, you know, uhm, software or anything for it.

I'm gonna log in tonight so if I have any issues.

Oh, OK.

Yeah, 'cause we've got about when we say 32 year 32 students so.

Hopefully you know some of them are coming to you, be they can go ahead and apply to LSA up, you know, uhm.

Early and then once there on campus will already be, you know LS AM.

Because we only have 60 well with the two that we've got today will have 60 four students, but like 40 of them are going to graduate.

So we have got to do some serious recruiting.

So.

Again.

So yeah, you know, maybe recruiting this way in the summer is one way you know to.

To get students early.

And then.

Reference.

So yeah, well, why don't you reach out to him? 'cause he and I have had a thorny relationship so.

'cause he gets on my last good nerve. So reach out to him and say Hey, you know we had a student who applied to Ellison way back. Can you please fill out this recommendation and maybe then send him a new link?

OK.

Email

But

Who?

Oh somebody.

Our Princess OK?

Anyway.

Oh OK, but yeah we need all file OK.

0.

And.

Bye.

Myself.

Yeah.

Although I mean it's been a year for somebody students, so they may not even remember doing it or.

Whatever.

Email

The email.

Letters of recommendation.

Stop.

But with your you know the person you know put it.

And.

Yeah so.

What happened?

Right?

You know it would never once a week.

I think one of them, I think I waited maybe 3 weeks.

Gmail.

OK.

So yeah.

Sometimes.

Oh here so George Oh so? Jordan Ann.

Oh Jordan Oh Ginawa are OK, so they're all set.

So then the only one really outstanding is Naomi. For last year Naomi Romero.

Right?

Oh man, she's architecture.

Yeah, I mean.

I sent her to email, you know, saying You know we haven't received it. Let me know. Let me know if you have any questions or you know whatever.

Sometimes I think they just don't send the reference. You know they don't. They don't talk to their their reference again.

Yeah, and they don't read email either. Do you know who was Naomi's reference?

Oh OK, so Darrell was hers. OK so yeah, reach out to him 'cause that was last year, yeah.

February of 20. So it's been over a year ago.

He couldn't.

I'm.

I don't know why.

I have to look at the other one and two they reference for, but.

So as a.

Name that the recommender.

Yeah, Allison Bermudez.

Was one now she was this February.

Paul Schaffer would hit his name. Sounds familiar.

Yeah, his grades were a little low, but.

And now, OK? 'cause I'll Walters. I mean her grades were outstanding and that was last August.

Yeah.

You know?

Recommend.

They have not received their letter recommendation. Yeah, um?

Uhm, well yeah. So just fill in who their recommenders were.

Uhm, I put in, uh.

I'm putting in a thing about recommendations.

And then who the recommender was and then we can?

Letter after another email to all their recommenders. You know just saying, You know.

Applied to understand program and.

Put your name, another recommender you know and.

4.

I know this is just insanity to have to chase people around like this.

But I guess right now we have to do it because we would need a student, right?

Yeah, we gotta do it.

No.

Recommende conditional say recently applied for the L exam program and listen.

And then.

If you have any questions, yeah Yeah. 'cause there at home now.

Do.

Yeah, I mean it's just I don't know, it's just ridiculous.

You know?

But yeah, see the two. The two that I didn't cold you not sound familiar to me.

So, uh, I have not heard. Paul Shaw was the only name that I recognize, and I think we looked at him at his grades were a little low, but.

And then Keziah Walters sounds a little bit familiar, but again.

I don't know.

Right?

So but OK, so yeah, we need to just fill in, um?

You know whether or not we received the recommendation and then who the recommendation was coming from?

Out.

Internet.

Be back.

And I get that.

Call

OK.

Recommend.

Sometimes you know this weekend.

Yeah, that well if you're having a problem though, Uhm.

Yeah, yeah lessons no because they can assist.

Yes.

Why you being so?

Ruler ruler. That name sounds familiar.

But I couldn't give it to make sure.

Oh well.

When I listen to my email, I said I.

Something about her, and I'm not here it is.

Email

To apply.

No.

20

Well, with my you be you have to do VPN. I think to do to get on to my movie.

And it still gave you an error.

Looking at that point because.

To help me with that, oh.

OK.

But yeah, I'm gonna reach out to.

Recommenders action. Until you know, please.

Yeah.

No.

Email

Ask me to do it, yeah?

If they don't say yes.

So.

At that time.

OK.

Jordan and.

Elgin Nagua Earth are OK, so Naomi is outstanding.

You met Bermudez, Paul Shahen, Keziah Walters.

Yeah, I'm gonna send email now.

Oh, you know Paul? Joshua comma. He know Paul Shaw.

I don't know who recommended. I mean like I know zero, but I'm I'm just gonna send it to their recommenders as well.

Let him know.

You know?

Lord is snowing out there. Girl, you had to get on a home.

Yep.

Yeah, i'ma go back with my laptop and.

I mean.

Oh, OK.

Oh, OK.

Yeah.

Alright then.

OK, yeah.

What's the time?

Cool.

Yeah, so I filled out the form.

For to get our our summer program of that form was very if that firm took me an hour to fill out.

So.

On the phone.

Yeah, so that's done. I sent a list of workshops, so I'll just wait. I'm guessing Charlie will get back to us in a few days.

You know where the preliminary page put up, right? Uhm?

And somehow I'm gonna have to go on campus because somehow I don't have the full folder of summer program because I there were things that I wanted to include that I didn't have because they wanted some. You know, things, some things that they could put on our page so.

I did give them the video that Starla made of the students planning trees.

And I gave them. You know, our newsletter. Couple of our newsletters, and, uh, some slideshows. But there were some other things I wanted to give them that I don't have, and I thought I had copied all of that stuff to box.

But I guess I didn't. Someone have to go back to my office one day this week and so I can copy that stuff up to box.

'cause supposedly you can. You can log into your computer using VPN, but I don't know how to do that so.

I gotta contact somebody from sins and find out how to do that.

But until then I am.

So.

I can't see my.

Calendar.

Oh

Even if you use the online outlook.

Yeah.

Huh?

That's weird.

Remotely again and try to figure it out OK.

Yeah.

OK.

Yeah.

Strong.

Up

Will allow us to get it.

OK.

Yeah.

Oh

All right?

What the heck is wrong with it?

My friend.

OK.

Yeah.

I will see you tomorrow. OK yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.

Bye.

Where are you going in a snow storm?

OK oh.

Hello.

Anybody out there?

Hi yeah can you hear me?

Yeah, I can hear you. Can you hear me?

I can hear you just right.

Oh great.

8.

Oh so I have only broadcast audio. I don't have broadcast video for some reason and I was texting um jenn, to see if I could broadcast video and she says that those permissions are the same permissions, so I should.

Um, try to refresh my browser so I'm gonna log off and do that, but in the meantime, can you broadcast video?

Uh, that's not an option.

It's not an option for you either. OK, so let me.

OK.

Hi Leticia.

Hi Sonia, can you hear me?

OK I know what I switch to Chrome and that solved my issue.

Yes.

Awesome, awesome. I just texted Jenn. Then it's working now. Um Oh, an icy Paolo is in here saying hello?

And, uh.

Oh.

Hello.

Oh for some reason I cannot hear uhm Oh Hey.

Hi Paula.

Hi how is everyone?

Good.

Good in yourself.

I'm doing great.

I cannot hear you song so nobody can hear Sonia correct?

Nope I can't hear her.

OK.

Um, she's in Chrome. Did let me just ask her did you hit broadcast video?

Um?

OK, um so and everybody can see the slides.

OK.

I can see the slides an it right now it looks like only you can control them which is right there's only one person controlling.

OK.

Paolo you can see them as well correct.

I can see the first slide an and the rest are grayed out.

OK.

Great, So what we're going to have to do. Polo is if Sonia cannot access audio. If she has an issue with the software.

OK.

A man, the reason I'm asking you that is because the presenter generally cannot even remotely keep up with the chat because the font is small and it's quick and it's fast moving.

OK, I can. I can feel conference.

Can you?

OK.

Great and then um, mostly. Those are the questions that you see, like bubbling up to being relevant for everybody or almost everybody.

Thanks.

So Paulo I've got a slide that has your um poster on it and we're going to be talking about you know undergraduate research is really important and I've got another slide here.

For some reason.

Let's not good 'cause I'm.

There's there's like a timer saying like 80 seconds elapsed.

I don't know what that's for.

And now I can't get out of this slide when that's not good OK let me go back anyway there's going to be a slide with your.

Face an you know saying that you are a part of our program and you know if you wanted to talk about your uhm.

From experience is well this is not good 'cause I seem to be frozen here.

Ah.

Well refresh now before it starts try to refresh.

There you are.

OK.

Yeah.

So that's what I did.

I don't wanna take any bandwidth so I'm gonna cancel my broadcast video. I'm going to close it out so you don't see me, but I'm here in the background watching OK.

OK, great.

Wait?

Oh, and at the end letisha one more thing. So you can say goodbye after your presentation is done and then click broadcast video saying for you Paolo and you Sonia and then close your browser and you you can walk away as long as you click you know turn off your broadcast video and then let the participants continue to chat with one another because they're like you know they're developing rich connections in there and we won't close that out for another 30 minutes or so. OK, so don't feel like you have to stay in the whole time.

OK.

So limit.

OK OK goodbye.

Oh by.

OK.

Oh Sonya, still not with us.

Oh

But we can't hear you.

Other.

OK.

OK, Good morning everyone. We are going to wait a few minutes to give our participants a chance to join us. We're expecting about 30 some odd participants. I see we're up to 21 so we're just going to wait a few moments to allow people to join.

And then now low do some introductions.

OK, we're up to 20.

22 participants with awesome body.

OK, we're getting up there.

OK so I will just start with some introductions. Good morning everyone and thank you so much for joining us for this University of Buffalo web and R. My name is Doctor Letisha, Thomas anime, assistant Dean for diversity in the school of engineering and I'm also the project director for a program called Sam the Louis Stokes Alliance for minority participation. An I have some slides that will talk a little bit about LSA open about our.

Office we're also joined by Miss Sonia Grant, our program assistant. Sonya. Are you on with us? Well, I know you're here, but can we hear you?

No, we can't hear sign Yeah, but she is in the chat, uh, and she says welcome to everyone. So um assign you will be in the chat. So if there are questions, uh, she'll be there. Monitoring that an Apollo are you with us?

Oh no, we're having audio issues. Well, it looks like it's just me for now. Are there he is?

Hello welcome everyone.

So Paulo is one of our LS amp students and um he is I'm going to give him a chance to talk with you guys um a few slides down the road here so again welcome and good morning to everyone again.

Just found your grant our program assistant is monitoring the chat box and I know some of you submit questions previously so I've got those and I'll address those as we go along.

So uhm I represent the office of diversity programs in the school of engineering and we do a lot of different things but one of the main things that we do is try to increase the number of under represented students including women in science technology engineering and math the majority of our students are engineering but we do have students from other majors so we work with we have students in chemistry students and physics.

Students in pharmacology and toxicology.

Architecture and planning so uh we do work with students anyone who is pursuing stem and we have a variety of enrichment program so we focused a lot on mentoring so peer mentoring were students help one another faculty mentoring undergraduate research is a big part of what we do and I'll be talking about that in a few slides Graduate School and career preparation I do a lot of that students.

Even alumni will call me and say Hey I'm thinking about going back to school or Hey I'm thinking about changing jobs and so we do a lot of that kind of work with students you'll hear this alot experiential learning and for us experiential learning really comes down to undergraduate research so that's also a big part of what we do and then community service we like to put our students into the community alot of times that is working.

To plant trees or to do a community garden and sometimes that involves working with K through 12 students but we do a lot of community service in our program as well.

Um the office of diversity programs also assist with student accommodations if you're having an issue or you need help with something and you be you know it has a lot of offices and is can you know feel like a really big place but our office is very small so if you were having an issue or a problem or you need somebody to make a Phone call you can definitely see us we had a student who is observing Ramadan and.

Needed an accommodation for the breaking of the fast and so his professor wasn't quite sure what to do so we intervene and help the student with that. It was, you know, sunset fell in the middle of an exam and so we worked out in accommodation where he could go to a room. He could have a light snack, he could pray and then he can go back to his exam. So that was just, you know, an example of something kind of came up in the Pseudo wasn't sure what to do.

The professor wasn't sure what to do, so our office step to him when we troubleshoot a number of you know student issues that come along and try to make referrals as needed so you know whenever a suit and has a problem or an issue, we asked them to come and see us and we will try to do our best to accommodate.

We also work with student clubs and so when you come into the school of engineering we have a number of engineering focused clubs so you'll see a lot of acronyms so sweet is the Society of women engineers ACS is the American Indian science and engineering society for Native American students nesby the national Society of black engineers all stem is are out in stem are LG BT Group.

Um ship is Society of Hispanic professional engineers you be scientists to works with students who want to increase the number of women in computer science and computing fields and then we have something called wise which is women in science and engineering and I'll talk a little bit about wise a little bit later but that's the sort of a sample of some of the student clubs that cater to students of color an underrepresented students in engineering.

That you can be involved in an we work with those clubs.

On a variety of different things.

The UV scientistic group had invited me to speech at a diversity conference at the school of engineering clubs were holding and so I moderated a session for them and that was really cool.

Another group of the UV hacking club had a question about some things that they were doing so I worked with them so we try to accommodate the clubs and work with them in the club so are a lot of really good work and I'll talk a bit about some of the specialized clubs in a few slides here.

Um so academics is going to be really really important when you get to you be so your engineering courses are really going to be drawing on the knowledge that you having in math chemistry physics and for a lot of you who are doing computer science is some draw on some programming knowledge that you have so the school of engineering runs study groups that will help you master your courses so you'll see something like 107 you'll see calculus courses and next semester of the spring semester.

Say You'll be looking at physics courses and the way that the group's work is. They really help you to solve problems, and it's not necessarily about, well, what is the answer, it's about how do you get to that answer, and that's going to be really important, because that prepares you for upload upper level courses that you're going to take. So the engineering groups is something that we really want to draw your attention to.

They are led by a faculty member and supported by junior and senior level student leaders, so the school of engineering recruit students you know that have successfully navigated these courses to lead other students in the engineering groups. The groups are small. They're about 15 to one ratio, so you solve problems and small groups you work with your faculty member. You work with us.

Student leader Aung you also work with one another uhm so it's a blended you know level of instruction an active learning and these groups are completely voluntary so you attend them as you know your schedule allows but one tip that we notice works for students is to attend the groups of regularly and kind of get into a study group or study habit that's going to be really important.

Navigate the material that you're going to be facing you know as a student in engineering or really any stem major is to get into a study group.

Um so you know we strongly strongly encourage students to use the engineering small groups they're usually very popular at the beginning of a semester so everybody's like yeah yeah and they sign up for groups and you may see that a group that you want to attend says that it's closed and it may be closed and it may not be closed so usually you know students are kind of frantic I talked to a young lady and she said well I tried to get into a group and it was closed.

And I said maybe maybe not so I made a Phone call and um the.

Instructor was like Oh yeah sure we have room you know So what happens is you know students apply for the groups and the computer says Oh well you know the slots are taken but the instructor kind of knows who comes on a regular basis and you know John Smith may have signed up for the group but decided he wanted to attend a group at a different time or maybe just decided he wasn't attending or what have you and so the groups are flexible very flexible.

And we always try to you know help students to get into a group you know that works for their schedule so if you ever apply for a small group and it says uh close give us a call and we'll see what we can do we also make referrals for other tutoring around campus we have a tutorial center called tasks and they also do tutoring we have a writing center on campus so we have a number of tutoring options that we are.

Happy to make referrals to students.

We're also looking to set up study groups for first year students and calculus if they're interested we kind of floated this idea there was kind of some initial interest and then it kind of.

Fell off so we are you know if there's a student interest we're definitely looking to do that so.

If you come into you be this fall and you say Oh I remember doctor team was talking about that tutoring group for calculus I'm interested in that let me know and we can get that going?

Um so other than your academics which of course is number one and most important undergraduate research is something that we really stress in our office and then some of our programs and so you'd probably thinking I'm just a freshman I haven't taken any classes yeah why she talking about undergraduate research as an engineer or if someone in stem undergraduate research is going to be important.

For a number of reasons, it can help you learn your classroom concepts. It can make your resume more attractive to employers or graduate schools. Your research mentor is going to be someone who can provide you with a reference who can talk to you about career exploration and so that research mentor is going to be a professor who you really get to know who gets to know you. Someone who can look out for you.

And again, just be a really great mentor. An reference for you.

It also can help you qualify for Graduate School funding different fellowships and scholarships one of my you be alarms who is now at the University of Wisconsin and recently won a fellow of big fellowship from the National Science Foundation so she was completing her masters and she won this funding and a lot of it has to do with the undergraduate and graduate research that she was doing so now of course she's decided to stay for her PhD because she's going to be getting a $32,000 fellowship.

And so II talked to her a couple weeks ago I said so are you staying or you're getting a job she says no I'm saying I'm going to get my PhD and she's a civil engineer and cheese and interested in environmental engineering and it all started with some undergraduate research that she did as part of our program many years ago and that's really done a lot to kind of get her to where she is now.

We want you to think about undergraduate research maybe not in the fall when you first arrive but certainly in the spring semester and definitely your sophomore year really think about doing some undergraduate research we have something called the UV experiential learning network and if you if you Google you be experiential learning network a page will pop up that has a lot of opportunities for students.

Including undergraduate research and so you can definitely check that out.

So we have something that you be called tinkering and tinkering helps you to answer important questions you know and it's really basic how do things work or why did something stop working so we encourage students to pursue these kind of hands-on activities because they lead to more important activities and as a student an engineering as a senior you're going to be asked.

To you know design a project may be asked to build something or do something even as a freshman you're going to be asked to I think they build wind turbines if I'm not mistaken so you are going to be asked to do some hands-on work while you're in the school of engineering and so tinkering is kind of a way to build your foundation for doing different projects and we have a lot of tinkering that goes on.

At you be uhm.

Yes OK.

There we go so you can tinker in a number of spaces at the University of Buffalo so we have what they call a reverse engineering lab so you can take a product say a can opener or radio you can break it down to its different parts and then you can put it back together to see well how was this.

Built how what are the component parts and if I wanted to build one How do I put it back together so the reverse engineering lab helps students to kind of conceptualize and figure out you know how that's done we also have something is really kind of cool is our digital manufacturing laboratory and that's where we have our 3 D printers you see this picture up in the corner here is a 3 D shoe.

That one of our student clubs design this shoe and they entered the competition and I think they they. They placed either first or second or third or something with this shoe design that they made and this is this was 3D printed so they came up with the concept, the design and they actually made it in the 3D print lab.

An in order though to do 3D printing, I found out that you really have to know how to use CAD or something called SolidWorks. So if over the summer you have some free time and you're interested in 3D printing or what they call additive manufacturing, it's a good idea to learn how to use CAD or solid works, so that may be something that you can look at doing before you get to you be because in order to do 3D printing.

When you're designing and you're coming up with concepts for things that you want to print, you have to do that work in CAD or solid works first. So that's a tip for you to look into learning either one of those.

Hum software, um products. Before you get to the University, we also have an electronics tinkering laboratory and we have the engineering machine shop.

And the machine shop is really quite an amazing place. I haven't really visited it until last semester when one of our student groups feminism, and I'll talk about that a little bit later. We visited the machine shop to make some key chains and the machine shop. It can be kind of an intimidating place that you walk in, and there's all these machines, but once you kind of are in there for awhile.

You get to know the machines you know. Safety is always first, so you know you have to have the protective equipment you have to you know.

There's a class where you can learn how to work the different machines. It really is kind of a fun and cool place. I had a student who wanted to decorate her apartment and she was trying to make this mirror thing, and so she actually went to the machine shop with mirrors and wood and all this kind of stuff and she made something for her apartment and it really was very. It was cool. You know how she kind of design this in her head.

She sketched it out. She talked to.

The guy Simon who runs the machine shop and Simon is really the greatest. If you conceive it, you know he can help you figure out how to make it, and she actually she brought in her materials and you know she made this thing that she had conceived in her mind. That was just something that she did, you know, for herself, for fun. It wasn't for class or anything, but it kind of gets you into the process of figuring out what you want to do.

Figuring out the materials that you need an actually taking a concept from your head, putting it on paper and then actually doing it. And that's an exercise you know that you'll use a lot as an engineer. I'm not sure if you can see this picture, but this is a picture of the actual machine shop, so when you go in there, you'll see all kinds of machines and all kinds of different things that you can do. I'm not sure what they all do, but there's a lot of capabilities.

In the machine shop and a lot of other things that you can do.

Uh, we also have a lot of hands-on clubs at you. Be earlier and earlier in the slide. I talked about some of the clubs that are there for students of color and a lot of those clubs are for networking. They have a lot of great conventions where you can go and meet other students, or you can go to seminars and workshops, job fairs, the job fair at the National Society of Black Engineers is huge. They usually hold it.

And a huge Convention Center. About 13,000 people go to the Nesby Convention every year. So a lot of students go to nesby for networking for workshops, for a career, exploration for the job fair. There's other clubs within the school of engineering that really give you.

Hands on work, some hands on experiences you know making things or entering competitions. so I thought I'd highlight a few of those.

Does chemical engineering Department has a chem car team and so the teams create a car that is powered solely by the energy that comes from a chemical reaction and I thought this was really the coolest thing. I didn't even know we had this club. I was at a club fair for engineering and I was looking around and I have been to see these students and such at it with them a little bit about.

Some of the stuff that they're doing, but they work really hard. Uhm, on these models of these cars that they power just through chemical reactions. So if you're a chemical engineering student and you know that is something that may be of interest to you, the Kim car team is something that you might enjoy. I'm noticing that a lot of students are into robotics. I know we have a number of students on the chat that are interested in.

Mechanical engineering, so we have a robotics club and their dedicated to making robots of different kinds and every year of during engineering week we have something called Robot Wars and so they actually have.

Area and they you know each team puts their robot in and then they roll around and each robot trying to destroy the other one. You can get pretty intense and that's something that's really popular and every year the teams pour a lot of energy into making their robots. They don't look as cool as the robots that you see on this little picture here, although this was taken taken from a UB website.

But you know, the robots don't look that cool that you see. Usually in Robot Wars, but you know they are built to withstand a pounding and to give a pounding to the other robot. So every year, that's really something that's really popular an, especially if you're a mechanical engineer and you're into robotics and building things. And again, most of the robots are built in the machine shop.

So that's something of interest to you. Um, the robotics club might be something that you're interested in, or even I know, our Society of Hispanic professional engineers group are shutting. They have a robotics team every year and they get together and build their robot. You know, under the banner of chef so you can do it either through you be robotics or through another club on campus. But that's something that.

I've noticed over the years that is very popular with students.

Um, for our civil engineers are structural engineers. We have the steel bridge team. I actually had a student who was on that team a number of years ago and every year they get better and better. You know they had placed in the 20s then they have placed in the top 10 and I think most recently that place #4 in the country for all still bridge teams. And so you actually build a bridge and there's categories that you get judged on.

How quickly you can build it. How light is it? How does it look? How efficient is it? And these are all concepts that civil engineers are familiar with, so the steel bridge team is really popular again. If you are into, you know, building things and building bridges that maybe the club for you. The Society of automotive engineers, they always they build vehicles.

Basically an.

You see them at different club fairs. They always have one of their vehicles with them. I was leaving work one evening.

And I saw a student come out and hop onto a snowmobile and I found out that the UM.

Society of Automotive Engineering Group was building snowmobiles, so they do a lot of really cool stuff. Again, if you're into.

Vehicles and into building things and really getting your hands and there. The Society of automotive engineers on they build. I think in this picture I have here they built a Baja vehicle uhm and so they build vehicles for off road. So again that's a really popular club that may be adventurous.

I know someone on the chat had asked about doing research for aerospace engineering and we have something called the Nano sat laboratory. I've had a lot of soon as participate in Nano set so Nano said. Is it's kind of a club and it's kind of a lab and it is for undergraduate and graduate students and it's in partnership with the Air Force Research lab NASA.

In a local company we have called Vogue and they actually build satellites, so they have a concept of a satellite that they want to launch.

And then they build the satellite up and they say, OK, we were going to build a satellite. We're going to build all the different components and there were actually going to try to launch this thing. So this gentleman here. Ethan was one of my students. He joined the Nano sat lab and his so he's an aerospace engineer and his responsibility was the camera that they had on the.

A satellite to actually get it to work in 0 gravity, so it took a lot of math and a lot of calculations. Because of course this is all simulated to try to figure out whether or not this thing would work, but you know he spent a lot of time working on this and I believe he film works for I want to say Northrop Gruman If I'm not mistaken, but he works for a big aerospace firm out in Los Angeles now. And really, you know, a lot of that started with him.

As an undergraduate working in the Nano sat lab, uhm so that group Crusaders who runs the Nano sat lab is a wonderful professor and he has trained a lot of students who have come through that lab who have done a lot of really cool stuff. So if you are so the student who was asking about aerospace definitely look up the Nano sat lab. They do a lot of really cool stuff in there and I've seen students have come through that lab who.

It really great jobs working for some of the big aerospace firms in the country, so definitely keep an eye out for that. Let me see. What were some of the other questions. So someone asks if there was financial aid through our office and unfortunately there is not all of the financial aid flows through the financial aid office and there are a number of scholarships, so hopefully your guidance counselor is helping you.

With the Excelsior scholarship, if you haven't heard of that, definitely talk to your guidance counselor counselor about Excelsior. That is the New York State scholarship for students that are in stem. There are a number of different scholarships, and again you can go to the University of Buffalo Financial a page so we don't offer any financial aid through our office, but RL Sam program does offer students.

Some funding for different activities that we have and when we get to those slides, I'll definitely talk to you about those.

Someone asked about study abroad and will be talking about that. Someone talked about, someone asked about.

How you be can uhm address educational gaps. Different students go to different kinds of high school. Some students go to fancy, you know, private schools. You know with a lot of resources. Some people go to just kind of your regular high school in their neighborhood with not as many resources. And so when you get to the University, we have a number of support programs that help students.

Um, to get what they need to be successful, so you may be an EOP student, the educational opportunity program, which is a state funded program. And as an elp student, you have tons of resources through that program. Everyone is assigned in advisor an. If you have an issue or you are in need of something, you start with your advisor and then your advisor can make referrals to you.

We also have the Accra Scholars Program. Some of our students come in through that scholarship program and you would have an advisor through Accra scholars and he was doctor Daniel Johnson and I worked with Danielle for a number of years and there's nothing that she will not do for her students. So if you come in through the Echo Scholars Program, you get a scholarship with them and you also get doctor Johnson who will help you with resources and steer you in the right direction.

Um, we have the ace program. The academic challenge in enrichment program and that is run by Doctor Remmele Schultz. There's another very good friend of mine and again, doctor Schultz will help students with referrals. Not only is she your advisor, but and doctor Johnson would be your advisor for Acker. Elp has a number. I think they have Seven or eight advisors, so really, your academic advisor is sort of your first line of information.

Or whatever you might need at the University of Buffalo and then your advisor will refer you to other programs that may refer you to our office. They may refer you to other offices on campus so you know for the student that was, you know, wondering about how we address educational gaps. We have a number of different emissions programs that help students to do that. You also have an advisement team in the school of engineering, so you may be in one of those other programs, but you also have an advisor with an engineering.

And again, the advising team in Engineering is is great alive, known. A lot of those folks for a number of years I've been. It would be for awhile and then it would be over 25 years. and I know a lot of the advisors on campus. An LP advising Acura Scholars, Advising Doctor Schultz, an ace, and the engineering advisement team are all really good. You know, they've been here for a long time. They know how to make great referrals and to help students, so if there's.

Ever a question or students need a referral or students need information? There's definitely ways to get that on campus, so I just wanted to.

Talk to the student who had asked that question.

Will continue with our uh, so study abroad. Someone also asked about study abroad opportunities and so I've highlighted a couple but what I'm going to do is I'm going to put in the chat a link to the study abroad page from the school of Engineering, 'cause I'm only highlighting a couple of things, but there are a ton of different study abroad things that you can do through engineering or through the wider University, but specific to engineering.

We have CIE 464, which is sustainability in Latin America and that is run by Professor John Atkinson, who I consider a really great Polly Anne. He runs this study abroad program in Costa Rica during our winter session.

The winter session typically takes place on end of December, beginning of January until school starts in late January, so it's usually about a three week, maybe 4 weeks session, and he takes students over to Costa Rica and they do a number of different activities. They desert coffee, farms, they.

A visit geothermal plants. They talk about ecotourism and so I've had a number of students who have been on this trip and they absolutely loved it. And if you're a civil engineer, of course you get credit for CIE 464. Or actually, if you're an engineering any engineering discipline, you'll get credit for this class, which could be a technical elective for you, I believe.

This is really a cool experience, and so it's something that we always highly recommend to students and you get to do it during the winter session so it doesn't, you know, just rub your.

But I want to say your flow of your courses because it takes place during the winter session. Sometimes. I know I had a student who did a study abroad during the academic.

Here and it did delay his graduation because he was away for an entire semester and summer. It was a great experience and and so he he was fine with that. But some students you know are really fixated. I have to graduate in four years after graduating four years. So if you don't want to use a semester for study abroad, the Costa Rica sustainability in Latin America program is perfect. It happens during the winter session and get to have a really cool experience.

Um, another one that a student.

Of mine participated in the study abroad to Singapore at Nanyang Technical University, so he said he was a chemical engineering student. He spent an entire semester in Singapore an.

You know studied UM, study there and took classes at the University and he also did a fair bit of traveling in that part of the world and you know, he said it was just a really great experience. He was a local student. He used a buffalonian and he said, you know, that was his first time out of the country and it was just really a great experience for him. It really kind of opened up his eyes to a different part of the world. Of course they had never experienced.

He had a great time at the University. He received the Gilman scholarship so that is a scholarship for Pell eligible students and he got a generous award that funded his study abroad over to Singapore. So the Gilman Scholarship is something that you can look into to help you fund study abroad. It would not fund the Costa Rica trip because it's too short. I believe it has to be.

Four or five weeks or longer? Uhm, but we have a office of fellowships and scholarships that can help students with the Gilman scholarship. If you wanted to do a study abroad and again, I am going to put a link into the chat for other study abroad programs. There's a study abroad program to France where students actually take believe. It's the statics course. They take a sophomore level course.

Over the summer while studying abroad in France at a University there, so I know that's a very popular trip for students, and so there are a lot of study abroad opportunities that are both engineering focused or you know, just focus on interest that you may have. So we have a full study abroad office that you be that can help you with any study abroad questions or that you may have.

I actually uhm took five of RLS am students on a study abroad opportunity and again this was over the winter session. But we would to Turkey and so we started off and assemble and then we for three weeks we went up and down the western coast of Turkey and it really was a great experience. We went to a plant that makes towels. We went to A.

Olive oil cooperative. We went to a General Motors plant so you know we had a number of really great experiences. We met people. You know, the students.

Formed a bond with one another and so study abroad really is something that you should consider. It really is a way to open up your eyes to different cultures.

And see you know, just see how people in other countries do things and so I had a wonderful time with the students. I learned how to use WhatsApp, 'cause I've never used that before. It was a little disorienting. Being in a place where there was no football, there was only soccer on television. So that was really it. 'cause it was playoff time so I would get updates on the NFL playoffs from my mom. But

No, it really did sort of let me know that you know America is not the center of the universe and there are people in the world who could care less about the NFL playoffs because it wasn't even on television. There were soccer matches on television so I'm like, oh, we're in the playoffs. But I survived and you will too. But study abroad is really something that you should consider it. It's really a great way to kind of see the world and to do something educational and something that I'm sure you would never.

Forget.

So again, if there are other questions, you can just pop those into the chat.

So wise we have a group on campus and you if you are a women in engineering, you'll probably be getting some information from them. Or you may have.

Participated in a chat with Chelsea Mont Rose, who runs the women in science and engineering support program at you be an it provides extra curricular activities and opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and math so they have guest lectures. Brown bag series, study groups. They have Wise Ambassador Program.

Are they do community outreach and social events? So, um, when you see information for wise, definitely check them out. They do a lot of really cool stuff. We do our office, you know, does a lot of activities with wise. We went so there the Wise Group and my semitism group which I'm going to talk about. Next we went to the machine shop to make the key chains. Which is this top photo here of this was.

These feminism group and the Wise Group in the machine shop and we had a great time that evening. So semitism is a group of female students, women of color in stem and it's just it's a support network that we have.

So we get together a couple times a month and we run it in conjunction with the counseling center. So doctor Amani Johnson in the counseling center helps us since she runs as mathematically, she's like we do in our meeting. We're having a virtual meeting in a couple of weeks, but we offer peer support psychoeducation. We have discussion groups. Sometimes students just want a space where they can.

Bent and chat and talk and laugh. And so we provide that space for students.

Wanna come sometimes? Usually the beginning of semester we have a meal. We have lots of power herbs and you know a lot of laughs and we talk and chat and now we do something called highs and lows. So we're like well, what were your highs for the week?

What went right? What was great? What were you Lowe's for the week? What were some of the things that you kind of wish you had approached differently? We talk about it. We chat about it. We do goal setting exercises. We do meditation exercises. And again, it's just a safe space for women to come in kind of share their bowls and their objectives, their struggles, their successes.

And it's you know it's been a really great group and you know a number of the young ladies you know have sort of, you know, come through the University together, and so that's always a good time. So of course, you know, because the women had a group of guys. You know we're jealous. Oh, that's D, you have a group for the women that you don't have anything for us guys and I said, oh, you guys aren't interested in that. So I guess we are. We want our own group so.

I developed a men of color in stem group thinking that really, you know, wouldn't go anywhere, and I think the first meeting had about 30 guys who came out. Um, so we sort of modeled it after the LeBron James show on HBO called the shop where you know LeBron and all of his famous friends. I think there's a picture there with him. An Odell Beckham junior or big football player. And of course, I'm sure you all know who Drake is so you know.

LeBron has this sort of barbershop atmosphere.

Hey guys gotta get together and talk about whatever it is the guys talk about so I do not go to the meetings. I usually just send pizza to a room on campus and we have undergraduate and graduate hosts that host the meeting for us. Again, we were doing those about once a month in the fall semester.

And so the guys kind of got together and they talked about different things. I know the last meeting that they had. They got together to talk about the very untimely and tragic death of Kobe Bryant and sort of how that affected them as men. And as guys who really watch basketball and watched him his whole career, and so you know they discussed that. And I'm not sure exactly what else they discussed because I'm not there, but I know.

You know?

I encouraged him to talk about, you know, academics and being an engineer and that kind of stuff what they actually talk about. I'm not really sure, but you know, the Fellows said that it was really a really great group and they were really excited to hold those meetings and so things have been a little disrupted. But you know, we hope to have those regular meetings in the fall.

And you know, we will invite you know all students to come out. Now you know these groups are sort of designated for men and for women, but any group, any club, any activity on campus is open to everyone. So we routinely would get a couple of the Fellows who would crash the women's meeting.

Um, and you know, so the girls were also threatening to crash the metal color meeting, so you know, typically you know there's one group for them in one group for the women, but all groups are open to everyone. So, but typically you know the men have no interest in coming to the women's group and vice versa, but they are open and available.

And you know, sometimes you know we do get people who come into you, know each other's meeting. But you know, every club, every activity, every organization is open to everyone on campus. And that's something that you be takes really seriously. So even though it may be, you know, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, you don't happen to be in Spanish, but you're interested in the club or organization you are more than welcome to attend meetings.

So don't ever think that you can't attend something because it doesn't necessarily have your group or your ethnicity in the title. All clubs and organizations are open to everyone.

Um, I'm running long here, but I just want to get in these last few slides, so I also run the elsam program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Louis Stokes Alliance for minority participation. So that's the grant that we get from the federal government.

To increase the number of under represented students successfully completing degrees in stem. So this is a group of our students. Take it outside of Davis Hall. We were We were going somewhere that day. I think we were getting ready to go to the undergraduate research conference when it was held in Niagara Falls. So that's a group of our students, I think just about everybody in this picture is in Graduate School now.

Uhm, actually know mode just got a job in Colorado, but he's also taking online classes. Oh, insecure works for Sumitomo Rubber and Buffalo. Oh Innas works for a company in somewhere near Binghamton, but everybody else is in Graduate School, which I thought was really cool. So our students, if you go to Jubie and you do engineering, you're going to do some really great stuff so.

All these students are doing really cool things.

Um, so we have a summer research internship program every year, so it's a paid 10 week program where you do research with the faculty member, and again, you know there are a lot of reasons to do.

Undergraduate research you can explore your major or you can help filling gaps between what you learn in the classroom. It's good experience for your careerfield you build excellent, excellent skills for Graduate School and you can get a great if you do a great job. You can get a great letter of recommendation for your mentor for Graduate School or for future employment. And you know some students really do need to take advantage.

Of learning opportunities that they have in the summer, you know, if you are an engineering student, you really should be doing stuff in your major. There's none of this, so I'm going to go home and be a lifeguard for the summer. Oh, I'm going to go work at Target for the summer. You really should either be engaged in research or in an internship in your field, because there's just so much to learn and some of the opportunities for you.

That you know it's really, you know, we really encourage students to do something hands-on, something technical within their field for the summer.

Um, so what's in it for students? You get a 10 week program. You get a research method seminar. You get essential skills workshops gradually preparation for Graduate School. We have a research symposium and poster presentation where you take your research and you put it on a poster, and I have a slide of a poster coming up. You get to go to the undergraduate research conference.

Which.

Happens is going to be happening on our medical campus. It won't be happening this summer, but hopefully next summer will be down on the medical campus. Is the National Conference. So students come from all over the country.

Come to this conference and so the students that are participating in our program also participate in this national conference.

So this is a poster that one of our students Paulo, who's actually on the chat with us today. This was his undergraduate research poster, because, again, we really stress undergraduate research. We want you to come right in. We have had a number of students who have completed their freshman year at you be who do research with us that first summer.

Um, if you know, go ahead and you do research as a freshman or as a rising sophomore or a rising junior. That leaves you with a number of other summers to do industry internships so you know I had a student who did research with us.

And after his freshman year, then after his sophomore year, he did something called a research experience for undergraduates. So I believe he was at RPI.

Um in Troy, NY? Then he did a internship with General Motors and so he's a senior. This year he's going. He also did our Costa Rica program as well, so he's a senior this year. He's graduating. I think he's already been accepted into the Masters program in robotics that you'd be, and he's probably going to get an offer from GM because he's so he started working there in the summer.

Um, last summer and then they asked him to come back for the fall. So he's working two or three days a week at GM and he's already been accepted to Graduate School. And again he started off as a, you know, at the end of his freshman year, doing undergraduate research. So Paulo is on the chat. He was one of our students who was an intern in the 2018 program. He's graduating in civil engineering with a focus on structural engineering.

There was a wonderful um newspaper story about polo and the resources doing, but I am. I have been talking nonstop for the past 40 minutes so I'm gonna let follow talk a little bit about his undergraduate research experience is an his experiences as a student in engineering and maybe I'll take a look at the check and see what's been going on there. But take it away, polo.

Hi everyone, uhm thank you doctor C UM well my research experience is well it's honestly start off with the elsam program in the summer.

It was my sophomore. It was the summer after my sophomore year and I wanted to go into research and I had a research project that I was trying to look into with with a professor of mine, professor Tang Wu and I didn't know how to start doing research for him or what to look into if I'm interested at all. So what I would say is that the L SAP summer research program is a perfect opportunity for you to realize if you want to do research. It's going to give you an opportunity to.

To try it out if you don't like it then you don't like it but if you do it's a good head start and that you could continue doing undergraduate research so that's what exactly what I did I started with the elsam program there was a lot of good workshops that they did for us that I learned a lot from that I grew because I went to those and also the big thing about the elsam summer research program.

Is that at the end of it you go to a conference and you present you have an oral presentation of the research that you did for the summer and a poster presentation that you could do or poster symposium that you can do as well so those are great experiences for you to not only do research and know what you're interested in for research but also help yourself soft skills to help you develop yourself skills and also like get out and present things to people get used to doing that?

So that was a great experience and honestly that kind of springboard in me into more research with my professor an he's even everything like not every every semester he emails me and asked me Hey do you want to look into this research project that I was thinking of if you're interested in doing that even gave me I'm a senior now as doctor T said and he I'm talking with him in terms of having a Masters project for my Masters degree then that's very interesting and he's helping me out with that.

A lot so it's a great way to get a research mentor as well.

A mother than research I've had an internship opportunity thanks to professors and thanks for the fact that after my elsam program I got to know more I got to know the faculty in my Department more and they're helping me out alot with internship opportunities and professional opportunities in the future so a lot of things were a lot of things happened because of the elsam summer research program and I can't recommend it more.

Oh, thank you so much. And of course he was one of our stars students and he was doing such cool research every year. You know, we just have our program. Our summer program is pretty small. We take anywhere from 10 to 15 students and so the students really do get to know one another. Here's a shot of them.

That was last year's group, the 2019 group, and, uhm, you know we had a really great time that summer. We have a great time every summer. This year we're going to have a virtual program. You know, because of everything that's going on Colvin. 19 where I'm going to be online this year, but you know the program is relatively small. The students get to know each other and we really do have a great time. Assumes work really hard.

Are these research projects? Because you, you know if you go back and take a look at the poster.

Apollo did it. You know there's a lot of data in a lot of information here, and you know it took. You know, the full 10 weeks to get all of this information together and get it on this poster. But you know it's definitely doable and you know this wasn't. You know, the end of his project. You know this was just sort of a snapshot of things. You know that of the research that he was doing. So you know we have a great time in summer program. Students really learn a lot.

What we're doing this year is we're sort of taking the different concepts that we have in trying to sort of put those online and have those a virtual, but we are hopeful that next summer will be back to our in person version of the program, but you become part of our the NSF family. Once you're in one NSF program, you have access to other programs.

Basically, I reuse research experiences for undergraduates and something called a bridge to the doctor. It you know, if you wanted to get funding for pH. D, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, you know you know you still have to apply for these different programs. But because you're part of an NSF program, you kind of have an idea of what's expected of you and what the research entails.

And what sort of what they're looking for and so that does I think give you an advantage when you're applying for those types of programs are summer research internship is paid you know students get a siphon if you're on campus you're also getting campus cash allowance which most students use to Starbucks over the summer but that you know we give that to students to kind of hold them over until their paychecks kind of kick in you get a faculty research mentor and I think that really is.

One of the most valuable parts of our program.

Is to have a research mentor? Are you be faculty mentor? You know who you're learning from? Who again can put you on to other opportunities. Other research you know. Once you are with a faculty member, you're sort of part of their lab and part of their family and that can be really valuable. And also the LS amstaff myself, Miss Sonia Grant. And we also we usually also have a graduate student who works with us.

To do our research methods course. So last year it was Miss Andrea Martinez. She's I'm standing here in the pink dress, but she left you be to become a engineer at mold so.

The you know and she still local. She's still around and she as matter fact she said hey if you guys want to come and do a tour at mold, you know I'll definitely host you guys so it's great to have engineers and in high places so this year will probably have Miss Darla Taylor who was one of our Acura Scholar students as an undergrad. She did the program in 2017. She's now a doctoral student in material science and engineering and she'll probably be our research methods instructor over the summer.

So you know, we like to grow our students through our programs, and then when they do really cool stuff.

We invite them back to hang out with us and you know to be mentors and to be instructors and andrea's case you know we take advantage of the opportunity to go to different places where our students work one of our alums works at Corning glass and so we took a trip down to Corning glass a few years ago so you know I like to think of it as a network of.

Scientists and engineers you know that we can count on to give us really great experiences.

Um, so the eligibility you have to be an undergraduate who's completed a minimum of 30 credits, so you know most at the end of your freshman year, you should definitely have 30 credits. We look for a GPA of 2.8 or better, so definitely keep those grades up. You have to demonstrate a serious research interest in Assam discipline. You have to be AUS citizen or permanent resident and you must be committed to increasing the number of under represented students in stem.

Um, and so you know our application will ask you a series of questions about you know what are your interest in stem? What do you know? What do you think is your future research interests? How are you going to increase the numbers of under represented students in stem? So you'll be asked all those questions on our application.

This is another picture. This was during this was Pollos year. We were at Niagara Falls and so we took a really cool picture at the falls and so yeah a lot of these students are graduating and doing cool stuff. I was getting this algebra that look at these pictures so forgive me but each one of these students you know I know very well. I know personally and they're all really cool Arthur here I believe took a job with Twitter. I saw him on a plane I was going to New York City. I'm like.

Arthur, what're you doing? He was going for an interview at Bloomberg, but he decided to take the job with Twitter. So again, you know, our students do really, really cool stuff, so you know we're just so proud of each and every one of them. And all the great things that they're doing. And, you know, hopefully this will be you guys. Some guys there in the chat. Hopefully this will be you one of these years and one of our pictures. And I'll be bragging about you as well.

So the else of summer program applications don't come out until December, you know, so you would have access to those once you're a student here, but you know if you're coming to you, be in the fall. We want you to definitely apply to our regular program. You can do that before you can get here. You can need a reference, but you can get your chemistry teacher, your physics teacher, your calculus teacher, you know to fill out our.

Application reference form. Then as soon as you get on campus, you're part of our LSA and family. You come to our office. We usually have lots of great snacks in our office. So come to our office. Check us out. Hang out with us.

You know, if you you know need referrals for tutoring or you have any other issues or we just want to place to hang out and study our offices in 107 furnace Hall, which doesn't mean anything to you right now. But once you get to campus, you'll figure out where that is and where offices, but you know, we definitely want you to go ahead and apply.

She made that decision. Yes, I'm coming to you, be you. Be engineering is the place for me. A muno fill out one of our applications and we would be more than happy to have you as part of the yellow Sam program.

And hopefully you know doing some really cool stuff with us including undergraduate research and other opportunities we also have a relationship with lesbian ship so I serve as the adviser for nesby which is the national Society of black engineers I was also an advisor for shop a few years ago we fund active members for.

The early bird registration fee to their national conferences and you know these are a little bit more than club these are national organizations student and professional engineers of color and they really are a great place to network and to gain professional development skills and so you know we really encourage our engineers of color to join these 2 organizations because you know the leadership opportunities that you get within nesbyen chef really.

Are?

Really great and something you know that you can use in your professional life and so we just wanted to put in a plug for nesbyen shed and the same can be said of sweet.

The society for women engineers I have a student who was apart of sweetie she went to one of their regional conferences and she got an internship for the summer so there are a lot of great day I had them a few slides go there a lot of great organizations on campus and you know we encourage you to join you know one of the engineering clubs when you get to be there are a ton of clubs anything you think you want it to be involved in.

You be has a club for that but we we usually tell our our engineering students to kind of look at the engineering clubs because you could spend you know all day in clubs there are so many clubs on campus but you know we tell our engineers that the engineering clubs especially.

Will offer you a lot of hands on stuff they'll offer you a lot of professional development and a lot of leadership skills so you know we we really push the engineering clubs but there are a lot of different clubs on campus that you can get involved with?

I am finally at the end of my little spiel here we can definitely take questions from anyone but you know we like to thank you for joining us on the chat today again I'm doctor letisha Thomas or you know soon as coming doctor TI am in 107 furnace Hall on the North campus which like I said doesn't mean much to you now but when you get to campus will definitely be able to find us we are within sort of the group of engineering buildings.

You can follow us on Facebook if you even still use Facebook I know my son tells me that only old people use Facebook but if you are on there we are on there as well you can also follow us on Twitter at you be stem you can follow us on Instagram at you be stemmed don't worry we will not follow you back and you know try to figure out who you are and what you're doing.

A one way relationship you follow us see what we're doing um we have a number of notices up there for different you know things of interest I get a lot of email and so usually I'm like this idea can you please post this to R Instagram page you know if there's something really cool and something that you want to take advantage of we will post that on our Instagram or pictures of things that we're doing will post that on our Instagram on our Twitter account you know same thing sometimes.

Um we will live tweet different events that are of interest that we think would be of interest to our students so you could definitely follow our social media to kind of see what we're up to so I'm not sure if there were any things in the chat I think I answered all of the questions that we had beforehand I don't know if there were any extra questions in the chat but again we thank you for your time and attention.

I can stick around to answer questions we can leave this session open if you wanted to talk further amongst yourselves but again you know we thank you so much for joining us this morning we hope we've given you a nice overview of some of the services and opportunities that we have within our office so within all of you be engineering.

I just think that we have a lot of stuff to offer for students a lot of great activities and if you come to you be engineering there will be no shortage of learning opportunities research opportunities and really great stuff for you to kind of kick start your career your interest in your discipline and we really really look forward to you becoming a you be engineer or you being.

You know scientists you be architect you being you know whatever it is that you want to become so again I'll take a look at the chat to see if there are any questions if you want to email me on the side you can email me L Thomas and Buffalo dot Edu just say Hey doctor TI was in the chat and you know I thought of a question that I wanted to ask you you know reach out to me anytime especially because I'm working from home.

I am on email quite a bit.

And so you know no question is you know uhm.

Uhm you know too silly or or anything you know anything that you think that you want more information about just let us know.

Yeah let's see.

I don't think I see anything else of a chat but if so again I will come.

Sit here you know hang out here for a minute Apollo has also said he don't hesitate to ask him any questions about being a student at you be he could definitely answer questions for you about his experiences he's really active you know within civil engineering he's an active student with us doing summer research so there was a question do you have to pay for the study abroad programs.

Yes there is a fee of for each program and its individual to that program.

As an LLC up student we do offer scholarships for partial scholarships for some study abroad program so I think for I had a student who went to a study abroad program.

Yeah I did it. I did I.

Bringing figi or Internet to Belize and we gave him I think a $500 scholarship we gave students who went to Costa Rica I don't know if it was 500 or a thousand but we gave them money to go did you go to Costa Rica Apollo I thought so I was like.

I feel like I was I was over. I was overshadowed by Harrison here. You forgot that I would be 3 equal to.

Yeah.

I was like.

Yeah.

1.

I thought you went yeah but yeah Harry Harrison uhm I remember um a kick is akhira win as well so 3 of our students went on the Costa Rica trip one year and.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah the other very inaugural one so if you have questions about the Costa Rica trip polo was on that trip and I remember a tourist said that you know you guys are climbing mountains and jumping into lakes and rivers and streams and.

She said it was quite invigorating.

For the for the UM, like the scholarships that we received, it was. It was one of the big things that even let me go to Costa Rica because I applied for it and I got accepted. I did the interview with professor Atkinson everything and then we looked at looked at the bill and I said, Oh, I gotta talk to my mom about this and you look bad and she was like no you can put the Costa Rica when you're working.

Oh wow.

And then I got. I received this scholarship from you and also discussion from the Department and my mom was like, OK we can. We can we can do this. So then I was able to go to Costa Rica the first time. The study of opportunity was given. So it was a great opportunity. Three weeks in Costa Rica going through renewable power plants. Looking at coffee farms are agriculture is affected equal tourism as well as they have Earth University, which is one of the top universities in the world that are doing new things in terms of.

Sustainable development and whatnot. So it was a great opportunity. And yes, we were running through jungles and streams.

Yeah I'm going to go on that trip one of these years I wasn't able to go the first year but uhm yeah I mean look into into going on that next year because II need to get out there and do some some cool stuff but yeah um Andre had asked about study abroad program so yes there is a fee for those because you not only have your room and board of you also get academic credit.

And like I said if in fact there is if it's a semester long or summer study abroad program you can apply for the Gilman scholarship if you are a Pell eligible students so our study abroad and I put in the chat a link to some of the engineering study abroad programs but we also have our regular study abroad.

Um program and they can give you more information on funding someone asks is the early moving still available for fall.

I'm not sure I think a lot of things are on hold but as we get closer to fault there is going to be more information on moving I know wise has an early move in program where you come I forget if it's 2 or 3 days before everyone else So what I would do is I would stay tuned to our campus living website and it's backed you have paid your tuition deposit.

At your housing deposit from you being you will be receiving regular communications from them, so they'll be able to let you know what the status is for early move in the early move in usually happens.

234 days before regular moving, so if you go to Jubie Campus living or if you Google that or somebody wants to pop you be campus campus living into the chat. They will keep you up to date on everything that's going on with our dorms.

So I'm not sure if there were any other questions, but again, I will monitor the chat.

Or again, if you want to email me on the side and say Oh Hey, talk to you. I want to know about XY or ZI can answer you via email.

Tom and again, you know I am. Thank you guys again for hanging out with us this morning. Um, I was funny because I said, oh I don't know if you know students are going to be up at this time of day. I know my kids are usually asleep at this time, which I guess just means I'm a slacker mom and I should be waking them up because you all got up. I think there were 29 people on the chat, so you know, in 29 if you were able to get up and be on the chat at 10:00 o'clock, I probably need to wake my kids up a little earlier.

But

Again, thank you, you know, good luck with your college decisions. I know it's kind of a different way of doing things, but you know, we hoping that these webinars are informative, an informational and that you get a kind of a sense of. You know what you can expect here. You'd be within the school of engineering and within the school itself.

OK already well I am like I said I'm going to leave this open for a little bit in case you wanted to ask us more questions or chat amongst yourselves again if something occurs to you later on you have my email address here.

Um?

That you could ask questions of me and hopefully you will have a great rest of your day.