Scenes Around NSM
TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy: Getting a Jump-Start on STEM Careers
For four summers, TC Energy has partnered with NSM to support the TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy. The intensive 9-week program, helps STEM-focused students get a jump-start on their college coursework, connect with their classmates, and benefit from TC Energy mentors. Summer scholars can earn credit for Calculus 1. They also receive a preview of Fundamentals of Chemistry and College Success course content. Upon successful completion of the program, students are evaluated for admittance into their first-choice UH major in NSM or engineering if they didn’t meet automatic admission requirements. In 2023, TC Energy is reinforcing its commitment to our students with an additional $300,000, three-year partnership that will also benefit student success and workforce pipeline efforts with the NSM Career Center.
Shruti Hariyani: Dan E. Wells Outstanding Dissertation Award, Spring 2023
Shruti Hariyani’s dissertation is titled “Expanding the Crystal Chemistry of Rare-Earth Substituted Oxide and Mixed Anion Inorganic Phosphors.” Her topic is the design and discovery of new luminescent phosphors that are used in LED bulbs and touchscreen displays. The goal throughout her Ph.D. was to develop new materials that could be paired with violet LEDs to minimize the impact of blue light exposure, which is known to impact human health. Her advisor was Jakoah Brgoch. Hariyani, a chemistry Ph.D. graduate, received a certificate and an award of $1,000.
NSM Celebrates Women’s History Month
In March, the Women in Physics Society at UH set up an Instagram/Selfie Station in the lobby of Science & Research 1 to celebrate Women’s History Month. Other activities included the screening of the documentary “Picture a Scientist,” organized by Earth & Atmospheric Sciences graduate student Ruby Patterson. A discussion panel following the movie included EAS faculty members Julia Wellner and Minako Righter and EAS graduate student Devin McQuaig.
Internship Boot Camp: Steps to Success
The NSM Internship Bootcamp offers students tips for resumes, interviewing, LinkedIn and finding the right internship. The event, organized by the NSM Career Center, is held each semester on the UH campus and is open to all NSM students. Seventy-five students participated in the fall, and the event grew to over 100 participants in the spring. The daylong event also included presentations by representatives from several area industries.
Spring Commencement Speaker: Zuha Khan
UH Commencement for College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics was held May 12 at Fertitta Center. More than 750 students graduated – 46 doctoral candidates, 134 master’s degree candidates and 593 bachelor’s degree candidates. One of the highlights was the speech given by summa cum laude graduate and biology major Zuha Khan. Each semester, the student speaker is selected through a competition open to all NSM summa cum laude graduates. During her speech, Khan stressed the strength of the UH community saying, “It isn’t the sameness that makes our community strong; it’s our differences.” She also stated, “We foster inclusivity because we are constantly interacting with individuals with knowledge and experiences that we have not had ourselves.”