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The National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) fellowship program, which offers fellowships for marginalized students completing Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in STEM fields, won the 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Syracuse University is in the top 10 for numbers of applications to the GEM fellowship program among the program’s 129 member universities. GEM connects students from underrepresented groups with STEM graduate programs at member universities and provides full-tuition scholarships and stipends, according to the program’s website.

SU has been a member of GEM’s fellowship program for nearly 30 years, according to a press release, and students in the School of Architecture, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Information Studies have been awarded fellowships over the past five years.

Dawit Negussey, a civil and environmental engineering professor and Graduate Dean’s Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion, is SU’s representative to GEM. Under Negussey’s leadership, SU recruited 12 students to graduate programs through GEM between 2018 and 2021, according to a February 2021 press release.

“The award recognizes the contributions of the GEM Consortium in providing a scalable path to STEM careers in academia and industry for underrepresented students,” Negussey said in the press release.

Black, Latino and Indigenous students are eligible for GEM fellowships, according to SU’s financial aid website. SU’s sustained and growing involvement with GEM reflects a dedication to diversity within graduate programs, Graduate School Dean Peter Vanable said in the release.

Increasing diversity in contribution and participation in STEM fields are central to GEM’s mission, according to its website. The award recognizes the role of mentorship in developing the next generation of STEM professionals, according to a National GEM Consortium press release.

“For the past 45 years GEM has been supporting the best and brightest talent in STEM, who are also members of underrepresented communities,” GEM CEO Brennon Marcano said in the release. “This award goes to every GEM fellow, alum and consortium member who have always believed in the power and positive effect of mentorship. It is a community that has advanced scientific impact, and we are ecstatic to be recognized at the highest levels in the U.S.”

Published on March 20, 2022 at 10:51 pm

Contact Jana: jlseal@syr.edu | @JanaLoSeal