Graduate School

STEM Rise Mentoring Program

Building Cross-Institutional Alliances through STEM Graduate Education and Athletic-Mentoring. Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Equitable Pathways Grant, STEM Rise mentoring program promotes partnerships for systemic change between Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and other educational institutions. 

This unique mentorship initiative selects graduate students who are current or former athletes in STEM disciplines. Participants engage in dual roles: advancing their graduate studies while contributing to their athletics departments. They guide rising student-athletes in STEM, demonstrating how athletic discipline can translate into academic and professional success. This program not only aids in the transition to STEM careers but also challenges stereotypes, reshaping perceptions across both academic and athletic realms.

Institutional Capacity Index

Changing Structures, Not People.

"You have got to think about how all of the structures within the entire institution actually will support or not the kinds of changes that we know need to happen to really diversify STEM – and bringing in a more inclusive and welcoming environment."Dr. Shirley Malcom, Senior Advisor and Director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science

The Institutional Capacity Index is a tool developed to identify systems and structures within institutions aimed at supporting DEIS (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts. Inspired by Dr. Shirley Malcom's call to "examine how all institutional structures can support or hinder the necessary changes to diversify STEM," our team co-designed the Index as one step in a scaffolded process to address systemic barriers. Our team's approach prioritizes long-term institutional investments and resource realignment: we seek to identify obstacles and opportunities while crafting a program that realigns resources to benefit students. The index is designed to identify resources but also to be used in conversations aimed at securing institutional supports.

Project Updates

Knowledge Exchange: Supporting Athletic STEM Graduate Education: Building Cross-Institutional Alliances

September 2023

The team from Michigan Tech traveled to San Jose State University (SJSU), an institution recognized as both a minority-serving institution (MSI), a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program (AANAPISI). The MTU team included Suzanne Sanregret (MTU Athletic Director), Dean Will Cantrell, Gabriel Escobedo (Center for Diversity and Inclusion), Kat Hannum, Randy Dwyer (MS student), and Melissa Baird. The team collaborated with SJSU's Chair of Kinesiology, Tamar Semerjian, and student-athlete Ivanna Anderson-Villela.

SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson opened the session and welcomed the attendees, who included SJSU's athletic director, student-athletes, football and women's basketball coaches, deans, athletic and academic advisors, and DEI leaders, as well as a representative from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, Titilayo Omotade. This workshop marked the first step in creating equitable pathways for student-athletes of minority backgrounds who are interested in pursuing post-baccalaureate STEM degrees.

 

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Equitable Pathways Partners (EPP) Meeting, Washington, D.C.

October 2023

Project team members Tamar Semerjian (SJSU), Kat Hannum (MTU) and Melissa Baird (MTU) attended the Equitable Pathways Partners (EPP) meeting held in Washington, D.C., as members of the Equitable Pathways grantees cohort, an event sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The meeting featured speakers engaged in STEM equity, including Sudip Parikh, CEO and editor in chief of Science (AAAS); Shirley Malcom (AAAS); Blanton Tolbert (HHMI); Lorelle Espinosa (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation); Travis York (AAAS); and Valeria Sinclair-Chapman (AAAS). Agency leaders, funders, and other key stakeholders were also in attendance. Wayne Gersie (a co-PI on the grant) presented “Strategies for Building Equitable and Enduring Partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions.”

 

Supporting Diversity in STEM, SACNAS Conference, Portland, Oregon

October 2023

Melissa Baird attended the National Diversity in STEM Conference, held Oct. 26-28 in Portland, Oregon. The conference was hosted by SACNAS, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science. SACNAS “is an inclusive organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM.” The team is keen on integrating conferences for our mentees to participate and learn from leaders and collaborators across the STEM fields.

 

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 79th Annual MAGS meeting

March 2023

MTU team members Baird and Cantrell attended the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 79th Annual MAGS meeting, Great Expectations: Graduate Education in a Changing World, held March 29-31 in Chicago, Illinois. Melissa Baird (SS/GS) led a workshop, "Transforming the Culture of Graduate Programs through Cross-Generational Mentoring."

Meet the Team

Principles

Tamar Semerjian

Tamar Semerjian

  • Faculty Athletics Representative, San José State University
  • Chair, Department of Kinesiology, San José State University
Wayne Gersie

Wayne Gersie

  • Vice President of Engagement and Belonging
Emerald Greene

Emerald Greene

  • Program Director, Black Leadership Opportunity Center, San José State University
Will Cantrell

Will H. Cantrell

  • Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
  • Interim Chair, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
  • Professor, Physics

Links of Interest

Research Interests

  • Atmospheric Science
  • Cloud and aerosol physics and chemistry
  • Nucleation

Students

Ivanna Anderson-Villela

M.S. in Kinesiology, SJSU

A Division IA water polo player, Ivanna Anderson-Villela actively contributes to the project through data collection, workshop organization, and recruitment efforts. Ivanna is also a Division IA water polo player who plans to pursue further education to get her Ph.D. in 2024.  

"I've been able to contribute to the project by collecting the Institutional Capacity Data of San Jose State University (SJSU), assisting with the logistics of the Knowledge Exchange workshop that was held at SJSU, recruiting student-athletes in STEM to participate as members of a panel during the Knowledge Exchange workshop, and the ongoing recruitment of student-athletes to participate in an interview with the primary investigators."

Robert Dwyer

M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, MTU

A 5th-year cross-country runner and a current STEM-Rise student, Robert Dwyer contribution to the STEM-Rise project includes survey analysis, meeting coordination, and representation at key events.

"Working for the STEM-Rise project was very rewarding. Setting up meetings with Coaches at MTU to learn more about how each team handles the school and sport load balance led to reflections from my own experience. Because we were working at the start of the project, we gathered data from student-athlete surveys and began to see clear patterns about how student-athletes think about graduate school. The Opportunity to travel to San Jose State to be the MTU student-athlete representative for a student-athlete panel was fantastic. Even helping create this website has been an excellent experience for me. It has left me feeling fulfilled about the work I have done for the project, and to be practically supported through grad school for this work makes me forever grateful."

Collaborators