Month: February 2023

Dr. Oliveira serves as 2021-2022 Equity Advisor

The Equity Advisor (EA) Program is just wrapping up for 2021-22, following the successful pilot of the program in 2020-21. This year, 11 equity advisors worked with 13 tenure-track faculty and department chair search committees to help ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) remained at the forefront during every step of the search process.

Many thanks to this year’s equity advisors for their service in this important role: Tess Ahlborn (CEGE), Lanrong Bi (Chem), Bill Cooke (KIP), David Flaspohler (CFRES), Erika Hersch-Green (BioSci), Stefka Hristova (HU), Don Lafreniere (SS), Adrienne Minerick (ChE), Audra Morse (CEGE), Aurenice Oliveira (ECE), and Chris Webster (CFRES).

Dr. Oliveira named ELATES-Drexel Felow and Michigan Tech Vice-President for Research Faculty Fellow

Associate Professor Aurenice Oliveira (ECE) has been selected for the Class of 2022-23 of Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) fellowship program.

ELATES is a national leadership development program designed to promote women in academic STEM fields, and faculty allies of all genders, into institutional leadership roles. Oliveira is also a recipient of the first ASEE ELATES fellow scholarship covering program costs and travel expenses. 

The ELATES Class of 2022-23 Fellows comprise a prestigious cohort of 30 faculty members from over 25 institutions of higher education across the U.S. and Canada. Fellows include experts in engineering, mathematics and science, all of whom have significant administrative experience on top of their scholarly accomplishments. Oliveira was nominated by Dean Janet Callahan (COE) and former interim Chair Glen Archer (ECE) for this intensive yearlong program, which includes personal and leadership development work as well as series of on-site work in the Philadelphia area.

Oliveira’s research interests focus on hybrid communications and networking, including connected and autonomous vehicles communications.  She is currently the IEEE chair for Northeastern Wisconsin Region 4 and recently served as the chair of the NSF ADVANCE Advocates and Allies Advisory Board (A3B) and as equity (DEIS) advisor for Michigan Tech faculty and chairs search teams. She is current the faculty advisor for two students’ organizations on campus: The Michigan Tech IEEE student chapter and Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Honor Society.

Oliveira will be also serving as a Michigan Tech Vice President for Research Faculty Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year in the areas of research development and research integrity.

“I am excited to participate in a program focused on training an amazing group of women to become leaders in academic STEM fields,” said Oliveira. “I would like to be able to bridge people and ideas as well as to tap into our strengths to create/encourage growth in my department and at Michigan Tech.”

Facilitated by leaders in the fields of STEM research and leadership development, the ELATES curriculum is focused on increasing Fellows’ personal and professional leadership effectiveness, from the ability to lead and manage change initiatives within institutions, to the use of strategic finance and resource management to enhance organizational missions. Pairing online instruction and discussion with intensive, in-person seminar sessions, the program encourages Fellows to apply what they’ve learned at their home institutions. Ultimately, it aims to create a network of exceptional faculty who bring broad organizational perspectives and deep personal capacity to the institutions and societies they serve.

Learn more online at ELATES at Drexel.