Students attend GEM Grad Lab conference

A group of undergraduate and graduate students at Tufts recently attended the annual Northeast GEM Grad Lab conference. Sponsored by the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), GEM Grad Lab aims to support students from underrepresented communities pursuing graduate degrees in applied science and engineering. The two-day event was hosted by Northeastern University and provided undergraduate students the opportunity to present research and learn about funded pathways to graduate school.

Two LSAMP Scholars, Macy Halim, E26, and Paul Galvan, E26, participated in the research poster symposium. Halim earned second place and was voted Best Poster by her LSAMP peers for her work on “Bioprinting High-Resolution, Small-Scale Brain Structures for Advanced Exploration.” Galvan also impressed the judges, winning third place for his project titled “Low-Cost Robotic Arm for Educational Use.” In addition to being LSAMP Scholars, Halim and Galvan are both participants in the Bridge to Engineering Success (BEST) program at Tufts. BEST supports college students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM and provides them with the resources necessary to excel academically and socially throughout their four-year undergraduate experience.

While the conference was geared towards undergraduate students, PhD student in biomedical engineering and GEM Scholar Kareen Fajardo Cortes attended the conference to share her expertise on a panel. Speaking with other graduate students, she contributed insights into her journey to graduate school and the opportunities she has accessed through GEM.

Tufts is a member of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), a national program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of LSAMP is to strengthen the preparation, representation, and success of historically underrepresented students in the science and engineering fields, while encouraging graduate studies. Tufts is part of the Northeast LSAMP (NELSAMP) Alliance, which includes the University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Northeastern University, University of Rhode Island, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Director of the Center for STEM Diversity Grace Caldara attended GEM Grad Lab with the students. Reflecting on the experience she remarked, “It was a rewarding weekend, and I’m immensely proud of all our students for representing Tufts University so well.”