MSU welcomes its newest cohort of Supporting Excellent Engineers (SEE) Scholars
The second cohort of SEE Scholars -- engineering students at Michigan State University who were awarded scholarships from the Supporting Excellent Engineers (SEE) program -- was greeted during a reception in the College of Engineering on Aug. 28.
SEE directors S. Patrick Walton, Daina Briedis, and Theodore Caldwell have teamed up to give scholars academic, professional, and social supports that, along with scholarship funds, will assist scholars in their pursuit of engineering degrees. SEE is supported by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). SEE will support four cohorts of MSU engineering students during their second and third years of college.
Walton is the Weir Associate Professor and associate chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Briedis is the assistant dean for Assessment and Student Advancement. Caldwell is the assistant dean for Student Diversity in the College of Engineering.
The team from the College of Engineering collaborates with Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia of the College of Education to study how SEE supports are helping students stay motivated to succeed.
"Attracting talented students into STEM fields does little good if financial pressures derail a student before graduation," Walton said. "SEE helps some of these students stay in school by providing support structures and connections to support their search for internship and co-op opportunities."
Caldwell said the list of support activities enhances both retention and graduation rates.
"The data we collect help us form strategies for our college and other colleges of engineering, too," Caldwell added.
The 2018-19 SEE Scholars are (* indicates members of the new cohort):
Zahji Billingslea, junior, mechanical engineering
Jordan Bommarito, junior, mechanical engineering
* Kobie Davis, sophomore, mechanical engineering
* Nicholas DiTommaso, sophomore, chemical engineering
Evan Hanes, junior, civil engineering
* Ryan Heleski, sophomore, civil engineering
* Rolanda Hutson, sophomore, mechanical engineering
* Melissa Joslyn, sophomore, chemical engineering
Carrington King, junior, applied engineering sciences
George Legacy, junior, electrical and computer engineering
* Jenna Magness, sophomore, chemical engineering
Devin Moses, junior, mechanical engineering
Sergio Sanchez, junior, electrical and computer engineering
Ryanne Shaw, junior, mechanical engineering
* Dayana Villagran, sophomore, mechanical engineering
* Quentin Wade, sophomore, mechanical engineering
A.R. Zebdi, sophomore, mechanical engineering
Alicia Ziegler, junior, biosystems engineering
