SHPE - Winter 2008 - (Page 63) leader by pushing me not to be content with what the chapter was already doing,” said Gabriel Diaz, a computer engineering senior and chapter vice president. “He pushed us to keep up the Science Extravaganza, even if it required more work from a smaller chapter. It was still within our reach.” Favila helped Diaz recognize that in order to succeed, he would need to delegate responsibility to other members and trust in their abilities. With the collaboration of fellow officers and other members, the chapter’s events went very smoothly. “I feel that my other officers and members are able to offer more of their own creative input in the execution of activities such as Science Extravaganza,” he said. Diaz also came away with a priceless lesson adding, “It has been a good learning experience for when I’m a professional engineer working with others in the corporate environment.” Though camaraderie is important to the relatively few Hispanic engineering students at Notre Dame, Favila noted that potential members often misperceive small chapters as “cliquish” and less appealing. Once again, the solution to the problem came through campus events focused on their mutual interests, this time their love for fútbol. The chapter’s annual soccer tournament has become a perfect excuse to introduce students and give rise to their most obvious commonalities. From there, their commitment to academic excellence takes over. The students begin finding each other in class, sharing notes, participating in study sessions and tutoring one another, and soon the gap isn’t as wide anymore. This is just one example of why Favila is so proud of the chapter’s initiative to reinvented itself and be more inclusive. As another example, the chapter recently decided to change its name from MAES/SHPE to Hispanic Engineers and Scientists (HES) so that it appeared more welcoming to students who aren’t of Mexican descent. It also has collaborated more closely with the National Society of Black Engineers chapter on campus to prepare new programs and co-sponsor events. “Minority organizations bring the community together,” said student president Diaz. “Minority groups help the white population learn about us and our way of life and curb a lot of ignorance.” The small SHPE chapter also helps prepare members for their transition into corporate America. “When students that went to a predominantly Hispanic high school come to a predominantly white institution,” Favila explained, “they realize that they have to integrate. The SHPE chapter makes sure that students are focused on the content of their academics versus the nature of the social atmosphere and helps them recognize that this environment is what they’ll see in the working world.” With so few minorities on campus, it’s inevitable that SHPE members will have to work with their counterparts in other minority organizations, and they are expected to fully participate with other campus activities that are not necessarily minority focused, such as student government and other professional organizations. On the national level, the chapter is taking greater advantage of SHPE’s expanded network. Eight students attended the SHPE Conference in November, up from two in 2006 and none in previous years. “They really enjoyed the professionalism, going to business or engineering related seminars and the career fair and interacting with more Hispanic engineers than they’ve ever seen,” www.SHPE.org R Winter 2008 Favila said. Many students received employment offers at the conference, and he thinks that will encourage more Notre Dame students to attend future events. Among the students who received employment offers was Camille Legault, a mechanical engineering senior and student chapter president. During her internship at GE Transportation in Ohio last summer, she worked on turbine blade design and analysis – something she had never imagined doing. For one who came to the university with little experience, Legault is grateful for advisor’s encouragement to shoulder the responsibilities of such leadership. “I learned a lot and it boosted my self esteem,” she said. “It made me believe more in my capabilities to apply myself as an engineer, to have confidence in myself and to endeavor to take chances.” Although SHPE-ND is in a period of rebuilding, Favila is proud of its good trajectory, especially when it comes to the chapter’s approach to membership and its selection of community service events, as well as how it interacts with other student organizations. “They really do want to make an impact on the College of Engineering,” he said, “regardless of their Hispanic identity.” Considering that it often takes a few years for new and struggling chapters to win SHPE national awards, he’s confident that SHPE-ND will soon have contributions to celebrate. “It takes leadership and a dedicated core to make it work,” Favila said. “At Notre Dame, we’ve identified the leadership and are building the core.” I Georgia Tech & Emory Joint Biomedical Engineering Department The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, a joint department between Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering and Emory University’s School of Medicine, invites nominations and applications for tenure track faculty positions at all levels: assistant, associate and full professor. We seek innovative, collegial individuals to enhance and contribute to ongoing research initiatives in the following research focus areas: molecular/optical imaging, systems biology, bionanotechnology, and vaccine development with applications in cancer and infectious diseases. For information on our research areas please see Research Overviews on our website: www.bme.gatech.edu. Candidates most hold a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering/science or a related discipline. Candidates should have the ability to develop a funded research program and to participate in teaching and advising in our undergraduate and graduate programs. Candidates meeting these minimum requirements are encouraged to submit a: 1) letter of application, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) statement of research interests and their relationship to the aforementioned thrusts, 4) statement of teaching interests and their relationship to the Coulter Department’s educational programs and 5) three letters of reference to the department chair via the BME online application system. To apply visit: http://www.bme.gatech.edu/welcome/jobs.shtml. Application deadline: March 1, 2008 Applications from women and underrepresented minorities are encouraged Georgia Tech is an Affirmative Action/Employment Opportunity Employer 63 http://www.bme.gatech.edu http://www.bme.gatech.edu http://www.bme.gatech.edu/welcome/jobs.shtml http://www.SHPE.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.