Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science,
Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
PAESMEM
Past Awardee Highlights
Paul Charles
Paul Charles has over 25 years of experience as a Research Chemist in the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). He has conducted research in the design of novel sensors for the detection of explosives and environmental contaminants and sensors for unmanned underwater vehicles. For over 15 years, Paul has served as the Director of the Office of Naval Research-sponsored NRL summer internship program for underrepresented minority undergraduate, graduate, and Postdoctoral students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI). He has implemented scientific seminars/workshops, professional development activities, and team building events to enhance their NRL summer experience. Paul's honors include the Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. STEM Education and Diversity Champion of the Year award, and the Commanding Officers Award for Achievement in Equal Employment Opportunity for STEM mentoring.
Indian Natural Resource, Science and Engineering Program (INRSEP) at Humboldt State University
Indian Natural Resource, Science and Engineering Program (INRSEP) provides a variety of services to first generation, low income, and historically underrepresented students in STEMM disciplines with a focus on American Indian and Indigenous students. It works with local tribal communities in order to learn through their Indigenous knowledge lenses and contribute to each tribe’s respective goals. INSREP serves students by connecting them to research opportunities, providing academic and career counseling, assisting with entrance into graduate programs, and fostering inclusive and supportive learning communities.
Department of Science and Engineering Support (DSES) of the National Technical Institution for the Deaf (NTID)
The Department of Science and Engineering Support (DSES) of the National Technical Institution for the Deaf (NTID) has provided access and educational serves to hearing disabled/impaired students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for over half a century. NTID DSES provides mentoring through advising/counseling, tutoring, instruction, note-taking and interpretive services, and as a liaison with host colleges as advocates for students. Those activities are deemed as critical for this population of students who are otherwise ignored or invisible in mainstream education. Also, it is especially beneficial to the greater population of students who are not hearing impaired to be mentored in relating to the hearing impaired, which is a positive effect for global society.
HISPA, Inc.
Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement (HISPA) unites successful Latino role models with underserved youth in New Jersey, New York, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania. HISPA’s mission is to inspire Latino students to discover their potential and ignite their desire to embrace education and achieve success. To this end, they mobilize Latino professionals to eradicate one key reason why Hispanic youth do not pursue education: a lack of role models. Unless students believe they can achieve, they are at an increased risk of dropping out—and indeed, the Hispanic dropout rate is the highest of all major racial and ethnic groups. This has huge social and economic consequences as jobs demand more education and Latinos make up more of the workforce.
John Pollock
John Pollock has been making an impact on education, both inside and outside of the classroom, for over 30 years. At the university level, over 200 students have been directly mentored by Dr. Pollock in both his neuroscience research group as well as his STEM education outreach partnership. His mentees have gone forward as leaders in the fields of law, science, medicine, biomedical research, digital visualization and teaching, especially with underserved populations. Outside of the classroom, he has organized science summer camps, has developed a wide range of educational resources including iOS/Android apps, videos and games for classrooms or at home. Dr. Pollock's awards are extensive and include Duquesne's Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching and also for Service to the Mission, two Emmy Awards for children/teen programing, elected an Apple Distinguished Educator by the Apple Corp, elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and recipient of the Science Educator Award, Society for Neuroscience & Dana Foundation. He is now the Lambert F. Minucci Endowed Chair in Engineering & Computational Sciences in the Department of Biology.
Paul Bernard Tchounwou
Dr. Paul Bernard Tchounwou has made a significant contribution to the development of the STEM pipeline, providing the leadership for development of a highly successful Ph.D. Program in Environmental Science at Jackson State. Seventy-three Ph.D. scholars have been mentored or co-mentored by Dr. Tcbounwou. In 2003, he received the Millennium Award for Excellence in Research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and he was selected as the 2013 Mentor Award recipient by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In addition to these accomplishments, Dr. Tchounwou is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Angela Wandinger-Ness
Angela Wandinger-Ness is Professor of Pathology and the Victor and Ruby Hansen Surface Endowed Professor in Cancer Cell Biology and Clinical Translation at the University of New Mexico’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Health Sciences Center. She's served in this role since 1998 and has spent more than 33 years mentoring students. Effective mentorship for Angela encompasses valuing differences, establishing partnerships with trust and reciprocity, uncovering strengths, supporting growth opportunities, and forging paths to achievement. For over 30 years, Angela has built STEM training programs for high school students through postdoctoral fellows that encourage diversity and rigorous professional development. Angela's mentees encompass over 370 students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty.
Hawaii Academy of Science
The vision of the Hawai'i Academy of Science is to promote scientific research and education in Hawai'i and the Pacific Rim. The Academy is particularly interested in developing and executing programs and experiences for the science and learning communities, serving the state of Hawai'i pipeline from pre-kindergarten to post-secondary while aiding in the state’s STEM workforce development needs. The Academy engages local and national laboratories, academia, public/private STEM related firms, and local legislature in support of its Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair (an affiliate of the Society for Science/International Science and Engineering Fair) and the Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability (funded by the Department of Defense). Each year, the Academy reaches over 6,000 students statewide along with 300 teachers and 250 mentors participating throughout the Pacific Rim, many of whom were former students of the Academy’s programs.
Lesia Crumpton-Young
Lesia Crumpton-Young is an engineering scholar who excels at research, teaching and service. She is Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, author, and recipient of multiple awards in Educational Leadership. She has comprehensively and effectively integrated viable research experiences with mentoring to increase the numbers of women and minorities in engineering. Dr. Crumpton-Young is the first African American woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University as well as the first African American woman to be Department Chair of an Industrial Engineering Department. Throughout her career, she has engaged in mentoring activities and increased student awareness and engagement in the field of engineering. She has mentored over 280 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students and 35 faculty members nationally.
Jennifer Karlin
Dr. Jennifer Karlin is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and the Faculty Development Coordinator at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Over the past decade, Dr. Karlin initiated the Girls in Real Learning Succeed program that has provided engineering activities and programming to over 1,000 middle school girls. During the same time frame, she and colleagues secured funding to establish two important programs: the Women in Science and Engineering program, and the Mentors and Mentees program that both support over 200 young women engineering students at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology each year. Under Dr. Karlin's guidance, women and other students from groups underrepresented in science and engineering have flourished in the school's Department of Industrial Engineering.
Reginald Blake
At New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Reginald Blake became the first director of the college's Black Male Initiative (BMI), a City University of New York (CUNY)-wide activity begun in 2005 to create model projects throughout the CUNY system that provide additional layers of academic and social support for students from groups underrepresented in higher education. Through its focus on STEM achievement by African-American male youths and other underrepresented populations, hundreds of BMI students have developed meaningful skills and knowledge in STEM fields. Reginald brought the BMI model to support Safe in My Brother's Arms (SIMBA), a program serving African American and Hispanic male students who live in homeless shelters. Blake's STEM research projects have been funded by National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Winny Dong
Over the past 23 years at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), Winny has served as a professor of chemical and materials engineering and has mentored over 150 undergraduate STEM students. Beyond directly mentoring students, Winny has created and sustained multiple programs at Cal Poly Pomona and beyond, serving an additional 3,000+ STEM students. At Cal Poly Pomona, Winny is the founder and Faculty Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, Research through Inclusive Opportunities Program, Achieve Scholars Program, STARS Program, the Engage Program, and the Projects Hatchery - all of which have the aims to ensure that undergraduate research and effective mentoring are accessible to all students, especially those from traditionally underserved populations. They are also the founder of the Entrepreneurship in STEAM program; co-founder and director of the Learn Through Discovery Initiative; co-founder of the Women in Engineering Program; and former director of the McNair Scholars Program.
Junior Bernadin
Over the past 14 years, Junior Bernadin has served as the director of IT and now serves as dean of students at the highly-acclaimed Ron Clark Academy (RCA). Along with his colleagues, he has helped train over 120,000 educators worldwide to learn better ways to engage students, increase academic excellence, and create a climate and culture for success. Junior expertise with House Systems has allowed to manage the global implementation of the Ron Clark Academy House System which is transforming schools around the world. In 2009, Junior organized students participating in RCA's Senior Tech program, a student-led program where seniors learn computer literacy skills. He also served as one of the mentors/coaches of RCA’s FIRST Lego Team; multiple STEM camps; Jr. Tech Engineer's Program; six-time National Champion Step Team; and six-time National Champion MATHCounts Video Challenge Team. In 2017, his students designed apps with others worldwide as part of a compassion-based engineering project called MAD About Mattering. In 2020 and 2021, Junior served as a teacher’s assistant for multiple cohorts of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab’s classroom research pilots, which tested new artificial intelligence (AI) tools and methods for teaching AI material to K-12 students.
National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED) University of Minnesota
The National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED) pursues its mission to predict the coupled dynamics and co-evolution of landscapes and their ecosystems to transform management and restoration of the Earth-surface environment. Connected with its research activities, the organization has a specific focus on improving representation of Native Americans in earth sciences and using the appeal of water, landscape, and energy sustainability to attract and retain its mentees. In 2002, a partnership with Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College developed into a unique new program called gidakiimanaaniwigamig (meaning, in Ojibwe, "Our Earth Lodge"). This Native American K-12 science immersion program is a long-term, intensive commitment to build students' academic abilities in science fields and create a learning community that would support students in their desire to stay in school, graduate, and continue into four-year collegiate programs.
AAAS Project on Science, Technology, and Disability
The AAAS Project on Science, Technology, and Disability has played a leadership role in supporting the advancement of people with disabilities in science, mathematics and engineering since 1975, more than a decade before the mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This program encourages scientists and engineers to self-identify and thus created the AAAS Resource Group of Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities, producing a group of about 1,000 scientists and engineers who serve as mentors. The AAAS Disability Project has become an important resource for individuals and organizations seeking to encourage the entry and advancement of person with disabilities in science and engineering. Additionally, the AAAS Disability Project, has a new program: Entry Point!, which has made more than 245 placements of students with disabilities in paid summer internships.
Erika Tatiana Camacho
Dr. Camacho’s passion is to continue the work and legacy of her mentors: to create opportunities for those individuals from marginalized communities and make graduate education attainable to them through intensive research. She co-founded the Applied Mathematical Sciences Summer Institute (AMSSI), a summer research program dedicated to the recruitment of undergraduate women and underrepresented minorities. More than one hundred of her mentees have earned Ph.D.s from AMSSI and other summer research programs she co-directed or worked with. Her leadership and mentoring work has been recognized by the Hispanic Women's Corporation (2011) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (2012). Additionally, Camacho's educational programs and activities have been supported by federal grants from the National Security Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Double Discovery Center (Columbia University)
Established 50 years ago, the Double Discovery Center (DDC) was designed with the assistance of university faculty to address the lack of formal science, mathematics and technology education faced by many of the young people who enroll in DDC. The DDC serves a diverse range of students and broadens their grasp of career potential in STEM fields. Through the DDC, students have the opportunity to participate in academic research experiences and have access to academic support systems and strategies leading to successful matriculation and degree completion in science, mathematics, and engineering fields.
Richard Ladner
Dr. Richard Ladner is a professor emeritus of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington. Throughout his career, Richard has worked closely with students who have disabilities and has pioneered improved computing technology for people who are deaf or blind or both. He has organized mentoring workshops and academies for deaf and blind students pursuing careers in STEM. Richard is passionate about his advocacy for this community and is committed to increasing the number of students with disabilities who will earn graduate degrees.
Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) has established an array of activities that work to increase the number of Hispanic/Latino and Native American students pursuing and achieving advanced degrees in STEM fields. The foundation for SACNAS since its initial years has been mentoring relationships between faculty and professionals in science and engineering with younger generations. Through mentoring activities at scientific meetings, teacher workshops, and its own annual conference, and by engaging in partnerships with other professional organizations, SACNAS provides and supports opportunities for students to strengthen their presentation skills, self-confidence, and make connections with scientists.
Mulatu Lemma
Dr. Lemma received his B.D. in mathematics education from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He spent five years teaching and mentoring at Awash Junior College, Ethiopia before beginning his 25 year tenure at Savannah State University. Since then, Dr. Lemma has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, half of which he published with student mentees and junior faculty. Dr. Lemma believes that effective mentoring involves helping students build self-confidence, self-esteem, and research experience by nurturing and developing “mathematically-inclined” students, specifically minority students.
William McHenry
William McHenry has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his 43 year career as a STEM educator. As the faculty advisor for the Society of Black Engineers, Dr. McHenry was able to mentor over 1,000 students. Through his role with the Patricia Roberts Harris Program, he has been able to serve an additional 2,100 graduate students. Currently, Dr. McHenry is developing the STEM STARS Model with funding from the NSF Discovery Research PreK-12 program. The program prepares science and mathematics educators for high-needs schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams is a globally recognized epidemiologist and public health scientist. Dr. Williams received the PAESMEM award during her tenure at the University of Washington School of Public Health. There she founded the university’s Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program (MIRT). Dr. Williams is now the Dean of the Faculty at Harvard’s School of Public Health. Most recently, Dean Williams was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and was recognized by PR Week as one of the top 50 health influencers of the year.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
This Cancer Research Month we celebrate organizations like the National Cancer Institute at Frederick (NCI) for their history of training the next generation of scientists. NCI began its mentoring program in 1989; 32 years later, the organization has over 1,100 alumni. Of those alumni, 60% are female and a large number belong to underrepresented minority groups. Most impressive is that an estimated 80% of NCI alumni continue pursuing STEM-related careers after graduating from the program.
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) was established in 1982 as a resource for students and professional mathematicians around the world. The organization works to expand the STEM work-force through mathematics outreach to underrepresented groups at all age levels. MSRI currently operates 10-12 summer graduate schools that mentor over 300 graduate students every year. The organization has received recognition and support from various government agencies including the National Science Foundation and the National Security Administration.
Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE)
The Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) program was launched in 1998 by Sylvia Bozeman and Rhonda Hughes to address pressure points in the STEM community such as access, visibility, and connections with professionals and opportunities. Participants of the EDGE program made up 35 percent of Ph.D.’s granted to African-American women in mathematical sciences from 2005-2009. At the time the award was given to EDGE (2015) the program had 200 participants with 56 women having completed a Ph.D., over 65 working towards their Ph.D. and 85 percent of the remaining participants having received a master’s degree.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
The National Society of Black Engineers was formed by six individuals in Chicago in 1974. Since then, the organization has grown to over 24,000 members and 600 chapters. The organization serves communities of all ages, offering resources for K-12 and collegiate students as well as memberships for professionals. Their mission to “increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community” can be shown by their career snapshot figures. The organization connects over 16,000 employers with over 42,000 job seekers while providing multiple opportunities for professional development.
Joe Cecil
Prior to becoming an educator at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Joe Cecil worked as an industrial engineer for seven years. His journey in mentoring, however, began long before that. Since 2001, Dr. Cecil has mentored over 800 students, grades 1-12, through the Soaring Eagle program. Dr. Cecil has used this program to pioneer a new way for students from underrepresented communities to participate in STEM using Virtual Reality based Learning Environments. The use of these Virtual Reality based Learning Environments has opened the door for minority students, women, autistic students, and those with physical disabilities to pursue careers in STEM.
Anne Donnelly
Throughout her career, Dr. Anne Donnelly, has amassed a remarkable resume of STEM mentorship. Mentoring developed by Dr. Donnelly as part of the South East Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (SEAGEP) has resulted in dozens of Ph.D. placements in the private sector and government laboratories. With financial support from NSF, Dr. Donnelly developed a Research Experience for Undergraduates program in which 100 students (50 percent of whom were women and minorities) participated over a 10 year period. Dr. Donnelly also served on the President’s Council on Diversity at the University of Florida.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
The American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) was founded in 1977 to promote the highest standards of education and professional excellence to widen the STEM workforce for American Indian populations. AISES currently serves almost 6,000 individual members through 230 affiliated pre-college schools and almost 200 chartered college and university chapters. Even more impressive, AISES serves members from over 200 tribal nations and has provided members with over 11 million dollars in scholarships.
M. Dolores Cimini
Dr. Maria Dolores Cimini received the PAESMEM award in 2014 for her efforts address and reduce barriers in STEM for individuals with disabilities and women with disabilities in particular. As an educator a disability herself, she has been able to draw upon her own challenges and harness them into national service. Dr. Cimini has been recognized by multiple agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2012, President Obama recognized Dr. Cimini as a “Champion of Change in STEM.”
Kennedy Reed
Dr. Kennedy Reed’s distinguished career can be summarized by his dedication to providing opportunities to underrepresented communities. Throughout his extensive career, Dr. Reed has helped more than 100 minority students receive their doctorate and, through the National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC), over 300 students receive graduate fellowships. Dr. Reed has also served as a visiting scientist in multiple countries and currently serves as a theoretical atomic physicist in the Theory Group in the Physics & Advanced Technologies Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
Karen Lozano
Dr. Lozano holds hard work, personal responsibility, and innovation as the pillars of her mentoring philosophy. Dr. Lozano has developed a pathway for students to pursue their Ph.D. which involves relationships with universities across the country. She has also created high-tech research projects to maximize ungraduated participation. These activities have resulted in 100% retention and graduation of students who have joined her lab. Over 200 students have directly benefitted from Dr. Lozano’s research opportunities. Altogether, Dr. Lozano has worked with over 10,000 students, 80% of which were Hispanic.
Robert Megginson
Dr. Robert Megginson is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Michigan. One of only about a dozen Native Americans who are known to hold doctorates in mathematics, Dr. Megginson has served on and chaired numerous professional and national committees that address this problem. In addition to his committee and other advisory work around under-representation, he has spent time working directly with students of color to help them succeed in mathematically-based fields. Since 1992, he has helped design and has worked every summer in programs for precollege students at Turtle Mountain Community College, a tribal college of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Nation in North Dakota.
Robin Dunbar
In partnership with the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and Engineering, Ms. Dunbar launched America’s Greenest Vessel, The Learning Barge, to mentor students to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s polluted Elizabeth River. This one-of-a-kind education vessel has seen over 64,000 participants, spreading across all ages. In 2014, Ms. Dunbar was awarded the Governor’s Gold Award of Sustainable Environmental Excellence. The following year, she received the Virginia Environmental Excellence Award. Ms. Dunbar’s hands-on approach to education and mentoring impacted thousands of students in the state of Virginia.
GeoFORCE Texas
GeoFORCE Texas is a K-12 outreach program designed to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing STEM degrees and careers, especially in geology. Each summer GeoFORCE takes more than 600 high school students on geosciences field trips across the U.S., including spectacular locations such as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Mount St. Helens, to name just a few. The trips are led by university faculty and research scientists and students are mentored by professional geologists from GeoFORCE industry partners. To date, over 1,300 students have completed the program, 100 percent of which graduated from high school.
Sekazi Mtingwa
During his years at North Carolina A&T State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Harvard University, Dr. Mtingwa mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. In 1977, Dr. Mtingwa co-founded the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and served as NSBP President from 1992 to 1994. He is also a co-founder of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists, the African Laser Centre, the African Physical Society, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Ghana).
Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN)
The Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN) was founded in 2002 by six atmospheric scientists and has since sought to empower early career women in geoscience fields. In 2014, ESWN officially launched as a nonprofit with goals of promoting career development, building community, providing informal mentoring and support, and facilitating professional collaborations. In 2017 ESWN, partnered with the American Geophysical Union and the Association for Women Geoscientists, to launch the ADVANCEGeo Partnership, in an effort to improve workplace climate for all women in geosciences.
Sandra Petersen
Dr. Petersen has personally mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented STEM fields. During her ten years as Director for the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP), Dr. Peterson led the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, campus in tripling minority enrollments in STEM graduate programs from 22 percent to 63 percent. Most recently, Dr. Peterson created and leads the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s STEM Diversity Institute (SDI) which provides strategies for broadening participation in the field.
The Clubhouse Network (TCN)
Since 1993, The Clubhouse Network (TCN) has provided a safe, creative after-school learning environment for young people in underserved communities. TCN serves 10,000 youth in 53 after-school Clubhouses in community centers, youth agencies, and social service organizations. According to a 2015 survey, over 75 percent of clubhouse members reported an interest in pursuing a STEM career. In 2017, The Clubhouse Network was awarded a multiyear grant, by the U.S. Department of Justice, to strengthen mentor participation around the United States.
Joaquin Bustoz (Deceased, In Memoriam)
Dr. Joaquin Bustoz was a Professor of Mathematics at the Arizona State University (ASU) at the time he received the PAESMEM award. In 1973, Dr. Bustoz was a Senior Fulbright Lecturer at la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Dr. Bustoz career was dedicated to helping minority students in the field of mathematics. From the elementary school he attended, which was later renamed in his honor, to working extensively on Navajo and Pima tribal lands, his main focus was helping minority students advance in academia. His mission of providing opportunities to underrepresented students in the mathematics and science fields is continued by Arizona State University, who hosts the Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program.
Camp Reach (WPI)
Founded in 1997 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Camp Reach is a residential summer STEM enrichment program for rising seventh-grade girls, with continuing mentoring, communications, and events for participants as they advance from seventh grade through their high school years. Approximately 400 rising seventh-grade girls, 110 high school students, 40 middle school mathematics and science teachers, and 75 WPI students and faculty have participated over the past 14 years, creating a mentoring scaffold of girls and women who support and celebrate their interests in STEM. In 2003, Camp Reach received a national award from the Women in Engineering ProActive Network for its role in encouraging young women in engineering and science.
Ashanti Johnson
Ashanti Johnson is currently the CEO/Superintendent of Cirrus Academy, a statewide STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) charter school system in Georgia. She was one of the first female African American chemical oceanographers and the first African American to earn a doctoral degree in oceanography from Texas A&M University. In March 2017, she served as the U.S. Department of State's representative to Cambodia for several STEM-focused events including being a keynote speaker at the Cambodia Science and Engineering Festival and the United States Embassy, as well as at several schools, universities, and a science museum in Cambodia.
Ocean Discovery Institute
The Ocean Discovery Institute uses ocean science to empower young people from underserved urban communities to become science and conservation leaders. All Ocean Discovery Institute programs are provided at no cost to students and provide them with a personalized mentorship experience that allows them to feel confident and empowered in their abilities. Many of these students have gone on to enter the fields of biotech, engineering, environmental consulting, fisheries, marine biology, education, and public policy, and are committed to making a difference.
Glenn S. Lee
Throughout his career, Glenn Lee has made creating opportunities his priority. In 1999, Mr. Lee created the "Robotics STEM Learning Center" at Waialua High & Intermediate School through which more than 230 students have participated in STEM-related competitions and higher education outreach events. Mr. Lee also co-founded the first robotics team in Hawaii, Team 359, which has won numerous competition awards, including the top prize at the 2011 FIRST Robotics World Championship. Mr. Lee has been recognized by the State of Hawaii as Teacher of the Year in 2009, and in 2011 he received the coveted National Milken Educator Award.
Sara Young
As an enrolled member of the Crow tribe, Sara Young directs the American Indian Research Opportunities program at Montana State University (MSU) and guides the MSU research mentoring programs of the Montana Apprenticeship Program, the Initiative for Minority Student Development Program, and Leadership Alliance. Sara focuses on creating a campus environment that supports Native American students as they earn their degrees. Sara is a role model in her community and her mentoring helps Native American students serve their home communities in a professional capacity.
Solomon Bililign
Solomon Bililign has served for over 30 years as a leader in the national effort to develop the nation's STEM workforce by acting as a catalyst in changing the student research and engagement culture at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. His efforts have impacted mentoring and research experiences at five other minority-serving institutions through his service as Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Interdisciplinary Scientific Environmental Technology Cooperative Science Center. Solomon's mentorship has helped students gain research experience, international collaborations, and participation in professional society activities.
IGNITE Worldwide
Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution (IGNITE) aims to introduce female students to careers in STEM. IGNITE hopes to inspire female students to pursue a passion that otherwise may not have been explored. IGNITE organizes in-school presentations, during which a small panel of professional women visit and tell their stories, engaging in discussion with the girls in attendance. This school-based model ensures that all students can participate and makes IGNITE a scalable and reproducible model to any community. IGNITE has been recognized as a national best practice program and an international model by the U.S. State Department.
Lorraine Fleming
Dr. Lorraine Fleming has spearheaded several research and intervention initiatives to attract and retain African American students in STEM disciplines and to improve the quality of engineering education for undergraduates. As Program Director and creator of the HUSEM (Howard University Science, Engineering and Mathematics) Program and GEAR-UP (Global Education, Awareness and Research Undergraduate Program), Lorraine has been successful in implementing programs that enhance the preparation of Howard engineering graduates to be successful, globally-engaged leaders. Lorraine received the 2008 Golden Torch Award for the Engineering Educator of the Year from the National Society of Black Engineers and was selected as a 2005 Carnegie Scholar.
Women in Science and Engineering - WISE (University of Michigan)
For the past two decades, the University of Michigan (UM) Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program has developed and implemented activities to increase the number of women students who successfully pursue degrees and careers in science, mathematics and engineering (SME). Program services range from summer workshops that have served 1,300 middle school girls to a living-learning residential program that has been home for more than 1,000 first- and second- year undergraduate women; from a summer research program aimed at encouraging women to undertake graduate studies in science and engineering to a peer mentoring network for women graduate students. The WISE program has made a significant impact in the recruitment and retention of women in SME fields.
David Ferguson
David Ferguson is a professor of technology and society and applied mathematics and statistics at Stony Brook University. His research and teaching are intertwined and focus on issues of quantitative reasoning; problem solving; use and assessment of educational technologies; technology in mathematics, science, and engineering education; and decision making. In 1992, David received the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is a New York state and national leader in programs to enhance the participation of underrepresented minority students in undergraduate and graduate STEM programs.
Melissa Simon
Dr. Melissa Simon aims to improve socialization patterns and pathways to STEM careers and supports models of mentoring that foster university-community partnerships. Melissa is involved with a number of programs that expand her mentoring reach beyond her lab. She co-directs the Women's Health and Science Program at Northwestern University with Dr. Teresa Woodruff (PAESMEM Organizational Awardee in 2010), and founded and directs the Cancer Health Disparities Research Program, an 8-week long summer program to address historically insufficient efforts to foster health disparities research by institutions that serve underrepresented students.
CRA Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research
The Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research of the Computing Research Association (CRA-W) has been nationally recognized for its significant achievement in the mentoring of women across educational levels - undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and professionals. CRA-W provides hands-on research experiences, mentoring, role models and information exchange to women pursuing careers in this field. Also provided are workshops aimed at faculty, information for careers, access to senior role models, and networking opportunities.
Great Minds in STEM (GMiS)
For over 24 years, Great Minds in STEM™ (GMiS) has offered a series of targeted educational programs promoting college readiness, awareness, resources and access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers among underrepresented middle and high school students in the Los Angeles area. These programs include the national Viva Technology™ Program, the HENAAC Scholars Program, the MentorNet virtual networking community, the College Bowl Competition, Technical Poster Competition, STEM-Up™ Initiative, and the NSF funded ASSIST. GMiS mentoring is based on the premise that community engagement serves as a catalyst for boosting student interest and achievement in STEM education.
PAESMEM.nsf.gov
An official website of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The National Science Foundation
administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) on behalf of
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
