Graduate School Newsblog

Tag: The King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program

King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship – Fall 2024 – Stelle Acero Barone

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As a 19-year-old disabled transgender student, Michigan Tech became a safe haven through student organizations and the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences (CFRES). Finally having a space where I was welcomed with open arms, I was able to focus on my passion for research and education. Through Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Honors Society and several volunteer experiences, I confirmed that I wanted to guide peers and eventually teach. My love of research was also fostered at Tech through my REU and McNair Scholars experiences.

I am starting my first year of my Ph.D. research with Dr. Parth Bhatt and Dr. Tao Liu working on deep learning models to enhance forest fire detection. Forest fires impact human and ecological communities. Thus, it’s exciting to be working on technology that could easily affect the future of ecological research and teaching through promoting ecological data science.

I am extremely thankful for the community in CFRES. I am thrilled to be able to contribute to the amazing research and community here. Additionally, thank you to the countless MTU staff, faculty, and students who helped me through my undergraduate degree and encouraged me to return for graduate school. Finally, thank you to Dr. Parth Bhatt and Dr. Tao Liu for starting this five year journey with me.

Sponsored by the King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from the State of Michigan.

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King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship – Fall 2024 – Alan Larson

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First, I would like to thank the KCP reviewers for selecting me as a recipient of the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship, for allowing me to pursue my own education with the goal of teaching others in the future. I would also like to thank my advisor, Dr. Pati, my family, as well as the rest of the Physics department for always having my back.

The research that I am interested in is observing emergent magnetic phenomena occurring from defects within graphite. More specifically, I am using Density Functional Theory to calculate the charge density and converged wave vectors of graphite crystals with small defects. Using that information, I am able to build an electronic band structure of the defected crystal to observe the properties that emerge. Applying twists to single layer graphene and stacking them has shown interesting properties, such as Quantum Spin Hall Effect and superconductivity. Hopefully we can find new materials to base computers on spintronics instead of electronics which will increase their efficiency by a large amount.

My favorite part is that sometimes the calculations take awhile to finish, so during that time I’m able to walk through campus while giving local chipmunks the spare peanuts I have.

My interest in mathematics and physics started in the third grade, by the eighth grade I was already teaching my classmates the Algebra lessons for the day. In high school the guidance counselors reached out so I could tutor struggling classmates and friends with their mathematics homework. Upon graduating with a double major in Physics and Applied Mathematics, I was able to teach once again for a year! Since then I knew I wanted to become a physics professor, to continue my research, and help others along the same path.

Sponsored by the King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from the State of Michigan.

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King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship – Fall 2024 – Bianca Mercado Velez

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My passion for STEM, health-related research, and advice from various mentors has driven my journey as a first-generation Latina student from Puerto Rico. After graduating from high school in Puerto Rico, I moved to Florida to attend Valencia Community College, where I earned my associate in arts before transferring to the University of Central Florida to pursue a dual bachelor’s in biomedical sciences and biotechnology. The invaluable mentorship from my professors, Dr. Dheeraj Verma and Dr. J. Marla Toyne opened up opportunities for me to participate in interdisciplinary research projects in biology and anthropology, health-related internships, and leadership positions in student organizations like Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Multicultural Association for Pre-health Students (MAPS), and Scientista.

In the summer of 2019, thanks to the guidance of my aunt, Madeline Mercado Voelker, I had the opportunity to do a summer undergraduate research internship at the Heldt bioseparations lab at Michigan Technological University (MTU). My research project focused on virus purification with an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) for vaccine production. This internship led to the opportunity to join Dr. Heldt’s lab as a PhD student at MTU in the Spring of 2022. Currently, I am a third-year Biology PhD candidate co-advised by Dr. Paul Goetsch (Biological Sciences) and Dr. Caryn Heldt (Chemical Engineering). My dissertation focuses on characterizing tumor-derived exosomes with atomic force microscopy for gene therapy and drug delivery. Since starting my Ph.D., I have taught and mentored middle and high school students in summer youth programs (SYP), helped promote and recruit undergraduate students for the Health Research Institute (HRI) summer research program and facilitated workshops for graduate students. These experiences and teaching conversational English classes to adults during undergrad have strengthened my commitment to an inclusive learning environment and mentoring future scientists as a research professor in postsecondary education.

I am deeply grateful to my co-advisers, Dr. Heldt and Dr. Goetsch, for their continuous support and motivation of my aspirations of pursuing a career in academia and for demonstrating to me the type of mentor I want to be to my future students. I thank my parents, sister, family, and friends from Puerto Rico and the United States for their unwavering support. I also thank the Graduate School, the Biological Science Department, and the state of Michigan for awarding me the King -Chavez- Parks (KCP) future faculty fellowship. The KCP fellowship represents a crucial step toward becoming a tenure-track professor, where I can continue to inspire and support students in pursuing their academic and career aspirations.

Sponsored by the King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from the State of Michigan

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The King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program – Summer 2023 – J.D. Brandewie

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I never imagined myself reaching this point. Having given up on college in 2011, I found myself working my way through different management positions across retail. Eternal grateful for the opportunity these jobs had presented for me, they had allowed me to survive well enough. By 2016, I had found the lack of empathy, and cerebral engagement to be a bit too much. In what may have been an impulsive decision, I quit my job and returned to college. I knew I wanted to explore more of what the world had to offer, and to see how I might be able to give back.

I entered a community college and was able to secure my associate degrees by 2017. This enabled me to transfer to the University of Louisville (UofL) and begin pursuing my bachelor’s. I wasn’t certain what direction to go; and initially was determined to go for an engineering degree of some sort. In my first semester at UofL, I took a physics course with a wonderful professor; Dr. David Brown. The manner in which he approached teaching instantly drew my attention. This was what I thought education should have been my first go around. I then decided to major in Physics. That following summer, I was given my first opportunity to be a Teacher’s Assistant; And I was hooked.

I then spent the remainder of my time as an undergraduate being a Teacher’s Assistant of some form. Whether it was instructing a lab or being a resource within the classroom, I found it to be one of the most fulfilling experiences. It was through this process I learned that to teach at the collegiate I would have to go to Graduate school; This had terrified me. I had always struggled with formalized education, and certainly did not believe myself capable of the highest levels of it. I was fortunate though to have mentors to guide me. If it were not for these amazing educators, I would not be here now.

In the spirit of what they taught me, I now continue my education further. Having been accepted into Michigan Tech has been one of the proudest moments in my life. Only to be surpassed by the honor and privilege I feel to have been accepted as a KCP Fellow. With this support, I will be able to accomplish something I only had ever dreamt of as a child. In return, it is only right to give that experience back. As I complete my PhD, I hope to help cultivate a diverse culture at MTU, using my unique experiences to build our community. Afterwards, I hope to become a faculty member and work towards a more comprehensive foundational curriculum; Integrating computation, physics, and mathematics together. In my late career, I’d hope to take an administrative position to further build a more representative student body of the diversity we have in the world.

Sponsored by the King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from the State of Michigan

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Nominations Sought for KCP Future Faculty Fellowships

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Applications are being accepted for the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship, a program funded by the State of Michigan.  The purpose of the King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program is to increase the pool of academically and economically disadvantaged candidates pursuing faculty teaching careers in post-secondary education.  

Funding may begin in summer or fall of 2023. Complete applications received by 4pm on March 15, 2023 will receive priority for consideration. Pending availability of funds, applications received will be considered on a rolling basis until the state’s application portal closes on April 30, 2023. Please note that April 30 is a Sunday, and no staff are available to assist with applications.  Applicants are highly encouraged to submit well in advance of the portal closing.

Applicants will complete the following steps:

KCP fellowships provide students up to $20,000 (MS students) or $35,000 (PhD students) to pursue their degrees.  Funds may be used to support students, including faculty and staff, pursuing degrees at Michigan Tech.  For Michigan Tech students, the Graduate School and nominating department must also contribute matching funds to help support the student.

Complete information about eligibility criteria and materials needed for an application is available on our web page. Please note that applications will be submitted through the MILogin Citizens Portal. Questions about eligibility or the application procedure can be directed to Dr. Debra Charlesworth.

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KCP Future Faculty Fellow – Tim Raymond

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Ever since my early teen years I have been involved in teaching. At 13 years of age I was leading martial arts classes for even younger students. Although the techniques were still quite rudimentary, I found a passion within teaching that has continued to evolve. My teacher as he taught me had enough insight into how much I enjoyed teaching that he began to teach me how to teach. Instead of just throwing concepts or techniques at me, he made sure I understood them all at a deeper level with the intention I continue teaching them. 

I can’t say that academia has always been a major concern for me. Due to unforeseeable reasons, I dropped out of high school when I was 17 years old to help out with the family business. I never thought I would return to a school setting but after many bumps in the road, I eventually found my way back.

The most amazing part about being an educator or at least aspiring to be one is that we are continuously humbled every day through our interactions with colleagues and people above us. These interactions can lead us to new and unique paths that we would have never imagined. My time here at MTU has brought me to psychology and eventually grad school where under my current advisor, Elizabeth Veinott, I have recently been exposed to research regarding the railroad industry. 

While on this new journey through academia I have been able to find ways to combine the knowledge I am receiving from Michigan Tech with my knowledge of the ‘real-world’ and I endeavor daily to become an educator that teaches not just the concepts or ideas but how we can use them within industry and alongside our daily lives.

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KCP Future Faculty Fellow – Jessica Czarnecki

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While working on my B.S. in Chemistry at William Paterson University of New Jersey, I had taken part in an REU program with Maryland SeaGrant. That summer is when I realized I wanted a career in biogeochemistry and soil science. I continued on with my studies, receiving my M.S. in Marine Studies from University of Delaware in 2020, and after graduating, I worked for a year and a half in Alaska, where I fell in love with boreal ecosystems. I am now in my second year of pursuing a PhD in Forest Science, working with Evan Kane, conducting research in biogeochemistry of peatlands. When I finish my degree, I want to continue to conduct research in biogeochemistry of wetland environments of boreal systems. I also want to be a mentor to the next generation of scientists who may have come from a non-traditional background or who have struggled with differences in learning that a traditional education may have overlooked.

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KCP Future Faculty Fellow – Alyssa Abbas

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I had my first introduction to the biological sciences during my sophomore year of high school in 2015. While I found most of what we learned interesting, I had a fascination with how changes in DNA could cause cancers. It wasn’t until my teacher brought in a cancer researcher to speak to the class that I decided I would want to do my own research one day. Little did I know the journey this curiosity would take me on.

After graduating high school in 2018, I continued my education at Mid Michigan College. I had been taking dual enrollment classes through Mid during high school and had the opportunity to take both General Biology and Microbiology at this time. I still loved biology and was planning on pursuing a career within the sciences. Right before the Fall semester began, I was contacted about being a Supplemental Instructor (SI), as one of my professors had recommended me to the program. I had always enjoyed helping my fellow classmates and decided to take on this role. During my time as an SI, I found that I had a love for teaching and at this point knew that I would one day want to be a professor myself.

By the Fall of 2019, I had transferred from Mid to Michigan Technological University to pursue my Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Microbiology. My interest in cancer research had not faded and by the Spring of 2021, I was working in the Cancer Metabolism and Functional Genomics lab led by Dr. Xiaohu (Mark) Tang. During my master’s I will continue my work in Dr. Tang’s lab where I will be performing the knockdown and knockout of specific genes within pancreatic cancer cell lines. The goal here is to see how the pancreatic cancer cells’ resistance to drug therapies will be changed. I hope that by doing this research I can help make a difference in how cancer is treated and learn more technical lab skills to teach to my future students.

Once I have completed my master’s I plan to become a professor to help build the foundation for future scientists. I look forward to the rest of this journey and hope to one day inspire others to follow their own dreams the way so many of my own professors have supported and inspired me.

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Nominations Sought for KCP Future Faculty Fellowships

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Applications are being accepted for the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship, a program funded by the State of Michigan.  The purpose of the King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program is to increase the pool of academically and economically disadvantaged candidates pursuing faculty teaching careers in post-secondary education.  

Funding may begin in summer or fall of 2022. Complete applications received by 4pm on February 24, 2022 will receive priority for consideration. Pending availability of funds, applications received through 4pm on April 12, 2022 will be considered on a rolling basis.

Applicants will complete the following steps:

Changes for this cycle of competition are as follows:

  • Michigan Tech is requiring use of a standardized budget template for the budget summary requested in the application.
  • If proof of US Citizenship at the time of application, one of the following must be provided to the Graduate School prior to an award being made:
    • US Passport, Birth Certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the US, Certification of Report of Birth, or Certificate of Citizenship issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

KCP fellowships provide students up to $20,000 (MS students) or $35,000 (PhD students) to pursue their degrees.  Funds may be used to support students, including faculty and staff, pursuing degrees at Michigan Tech.  For Michigan Tech students, the Graduate School and nominating department must also contribute matching funds to help support the student.

Complete information about eligibility criteria and materials needed for an application is available on our web page. Please note that applications will be submitted through the MILogin Citizens Portal. Questions about eligibility or the application procedure can be directed to Dr. Debra Charlesworth.

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KCP Future Faculty Fellow – Brittany Nelson

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It started when I took a critical thinking class where I learned how irrational many of my, and most people’s decisions, are. Many hold a misconception that we are rational creatures that we weigh pros and cons of each choice and choose the option that has the most utility. I was immediately fascinated that this is not the case; decisions are influenced by biases, environment, emotions, fatigue, and more. As an undergraduate, I conducted a blind experiment that measured the impact of reading a free will philosophy pamphlet on behaviors such as stealing candy and donating money. (Those who read the pamphlet that suggests we don’t have free will are more likely to steal candy and not donate money!) After learning how little we make rational decisions —without even being aware— I understood the potential the field of cognitive science has for helping people.

My interest in teaching allowed me to take many powerful lessons from my Masters’ degree in Applied Cognitive Science and share them with students when I was a visiting professor at Finlandia University. This position opened my eyes to how instructors can empower students through teaching. From this experience, I gained a passion for and concrete skills in how to be a professor.

Under the advisement of Dr. Erich Petushek, my current Ph.D. research at MTU involves identifying, measuring, and improving key factors that impact healthy lifestyle decisions. Lifestyle behaviors cause 60% of premature deaths and lead to 10 years longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases. I hope that the long-term impact of this research is saved lives and a significant improvement in quality of life.

It is my goal to become a professor in psychology. As a professor, I can empower students to reach their potential and lead a lab devoted to helping people make good decisions. I am so grateful and honored to receive the King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship. I know it will help pave my way toward my goal.

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