EM MSIPP Achievement Workshop Attracts 245 Participants as Program Marks 10th Year

Greg Sosson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM), gives the keynote address at the 3rd Annual DOE EM Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program Achievement Workshop. (Photo Credit: Justin Crawford)

AUGUSTA, Ga. - More than 240 people gathered for the 3rd Annual Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental ManagementMinority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (EM MSIPP) Achievement Workshop in Augusta earlier this month.

Hurricane Debby, which struck the southeastern United States the same week as the workshop, created travel challenges for many attendees. "Despite the travel challenges I had due to the weather, I can say it was completely worth it," said Natalia Soares Quinete, assistant professor for chemistry and biochemistry, Florida International University. The workshop highlighted new initiatives and program improvements as EM federal and DOE laboratory staff joined support contractors, students and principal investigators to celebrate the 10th anniversary of EM MSIPP.

Workshop participants traveled from 20 states and Puerto Rico, and represented five national laboratories, EM headquarters, and 43 colleges and universities. EM staff from the Energy Technology Engineering Center in California, Oak Ridge in Tennessee, and Savannah River Site in South Carolina also attended. Greg Sosson, EM's associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, gave the keynote address. He encouraged students to take advantage of the unique group of attendees to grow their professional and educational networks.

The workshop offered a variety of programming for students and principal investigators, with the goal of furthering engagement with EM and EM MSIPP. Principal investigators took part in a session focused on applying for grants and competitive research awards, reporting and managing EM grants, and the future of the EM mission. Students engaged in sessions focused on networking and career readiness.

From left, panel moderator LaTosha Glover, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program Savannah River National Laboratory program coordinator, speaks with panelists Melissa Frank-Alston, provost, Augusta Technical College; Forest Mahan, president, Aiken Technical College; and Willie L. Todd, president, Denmark Technical College. (Photo Credit: Justin Crawford)

Additionally, attendees reviewed more than 60 posters at the principal investigator poster session, received a free professional headshot, viewed demonstrations of grant research, and attended presentations given by 24 student scholars as part of STEM IGNITE. The three-minute presentations provided opportunities for students to practice their public speaking skills as they shared overviews of their EM MSIPP funded research performed in conjunction with their sites or MSI institutions.

Each day of the workshop featured a special presentation during a working lunch. On the first day, attendees received a presentation from Emma Norman, department chair, Native Environmental Science Program, Northwest Indian College. Norman gave an overview of the college's use of the grant they received from EM MSIPP and how that funding is incorporated into the college's core value: Schtәngәxʷәn (sha-teng-en), the responsibility to protect our territory by taking care of the land, water and everything in it.

On the second day, nine past and present EM MSIPP participants joined a roundtable discussion to share how EM MSIPP impacted their educational journey and shaped their career choices. A second panel discussed the important impact two-year institutions can have on EM science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research and the workforce pipeline. The robust panel discussion led to new ideas for partnerships among two-year institutions and their four-year counterparts, as well as national laboratories and industry partners.

At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees left with new connections and a better understanding of the EM MSIPP components and the avenues of funding available to them.

-Contributors: Tammy Newman, Lauren Zack