Mentors
Mentorship is a vital component to a successful career in academia, industry, or entrepreneurship. Under the guidance of School of Engineering leadership and local professionals, FAST-TRAC scholars build mentorships with innovative thinkers in STEM. Scholars receive mentor outreach support from the following faculty members at Tufts University:
Dr. Karen Panetta Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering
As the first female electrical engineer to be given tenure in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, Panetta continues to promote the interests of women in her field. From 2007 to 2009, she was the worldwide director for IEEE Women in Engineering, the largest international professional organization dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists, and she served as editor-in-chief of the IEEE Women in Engineering magazine.
Dr. Sinaia Nathanson Former Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Nathanson served as a professor in the psychology department at Tufts University for more than 30 years before retiring in 2017. She partnered with deans to found the Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT) to give real-world teaching experience to doctoral students. She also created a suite of professional development programs that include workshops that prepare graduate students for careers in academia and teaching and research assistant orientation programs.
Dr. Thomas Vandervelde Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vandervelde serves as a fellow in the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEE) and received the 2011 and 2014 Teaching and Mentoring Award from Tufts University. He has a B.S. in both astronomy and physics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an M.A. and Ph.D in physics from the University of Virginia. Vandervelde has extensive research experience in optoelectronics and photonics.
Dr. Valencia Koomson Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Koomson is a former Marshall Scholar, Intel Foundation Scholar, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and recipient of the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. She has a B.S in electrical engineering from MIT, a M.Eng. in computer science from MIT, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Cambridge.