April
April is always a very busy time of year for the STEM College, and it seems that 2013 has been busier than ever. Just this past week alone, we’ve had Biology Day, the Women in Science and Engineering Career Day, the Choose Ohio First Research Conference, and the Society of Women Engineers Dinner with Industry. Our STEM Leadership Society students organized a tour to the Great Lakes Brewery up in Cleveland, and our American Society of Civil Engineering students took first place in the regional concrete canoe competition. Our students and faculty certainly are an active bunch.
I want to especially note all of the activities around “Women in STEM Week”, some of which are highlighted elsewhere in this issue of the newsletter. We had Sonia Kovalevsky Day, organized by Alicia Prieto-Langarica, attracting roughly 60 high school girls to YSU to learn about the role of women in mathematics. We had the Edward W. Powers Women in Science and Engineering Career Day, organized by Diana Fagan, attracting nearly 100 middle and high school girls for a day of panel discussion and workshops.
Within the College, we’ve increased the number of women faculty by over 40% in the last several years. Last year we added three tenure-track women faculty. This year, we have another two that we expect to be hiring, and we’re still recruiting more faculty into our ranks. Having women faculty in STEM is the first step in helping our women students to understand that they can succeed and to fulfill their potential for long productive careers. It’s tremendous growth, and it demonstrates the commitment that YSU and the STEM College have made to promoting underrepresented students.
To further illustrate the many activities of our STEM students, we will be hosting the annual STEM Showcase this Sunday from 2-4p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to see what our students have been doing this year. We’ll have the concrete canoe on display, and we’ll also have a large number of the electrical engineering capstone design projects, many of the Choose Ohio First poster presentations, displays from our freshmen students’ work with Hynes Industries, highlights of physics, chemistry, and biology research projects, and much more.
I very much enjoy seeing all of the activities that our faculty and student organize, and I am extremely pleased to know that the STEM College is a vibrant hub of activity. It’s busy, and it keeps me hopping, but its good fun. I’m extremely proud to be able to be the Dean for such a great group of faculty and students. Thanks to all of them, and to all of you for also being a part of the effort.