FSP Alumni Panel and Workshop

2018-2019 Programs 

Fall 2018

We all have a story to tell about what motivates us to follow our career choices, particularly if you identify as a woman or as a person of color in the sciences.

UCI students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as the faculty and staff who support them, are invited to hear   to hear insightful narratives and extraordinary tips from seasoned UCI contacts to motivate undergraduate and graduate student success.

Complimentary seating and full lunch on a first-come.

WHAT: This Is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like
WHERE:   Calit2 Auditorium
WHEN:    noon – 1:30 p.m., October 24

Brief Talk by
Professor Roderic Crooks, Informatics

Q&A with UCI Contacts from:
Office of Access & Inclusion
UCI Division of Career Pathways
UROP

Co-sponsored by the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence, Calit2, and Office of Access & Inclusion

Winter 2019

Save the date! January 30, 2019

 

Blizzard Entertainment Engineer and Campus Speakers Highlight Tips for Internships and Research at STEM Lunch Forum, January 30

The lunch forum scheduled for January 30, 2019, at noon-1:30 p.m. at the Calit2 Auditorium will give students insider tips to internship opportunities at Blizzard Entertainment and research opportunities, including a keynote presentation from Catherine Morgan, a software engineer at Blizzard Entertainment and former Blizzard intern.

Undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and those supporting their success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers) are invited.  Complimentary seating on a first-come, first-served basis is provided with submitted RSVP at: https://uciadvance.wufoo.com/forms/z1yzmakw0lwhvs8

In addition to the keynote presentation, participants will learn about a range of campus resources to support undergraduates and graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

 

Additional brief talks by:

Bonnie Cuthbert, UCI Chancellor’s ADVANCE Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Miguel Ochoa, undergraduate senior in Biological Sciences and Chicanx/Latinx Studies

Q&A with UCI Contacts from:

Office of Access & Inclusion

UCI Division of Career Pathways

UROP

Co-sponsored by the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence, Calit2, and Office of Access & Inclusion

2017-2018 Programs 

Fall 2017

STEM Lunch Talk with Dr. Irma Lawrence
National Program Leader in the Division of Community and Education
US Dept. of Agriculture-National Institute of Food Agriculture

When: October 25, 12:00 – 1:30 PM

Where: Calit2 Auditorium

Winter 2018

    STEM Lunch Talk with:

  • Nalini Venkatasubramanian, Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences
  • Anna Nierenberg, University of California Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, UCI School of Physical Sciences
  • Ericca Go, Undergraduate Computer Science Major and President of Women in Information and Computer Sciences, one of the largest campus professional organizations
When: Wednesday, February 28, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
 
Where: CalIT2 Auditorium
 
 

2016-2017 Programs 

Winter 2017

This is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks like flyer

We all have a story to tell about what motivates us to follow our career choices. Join us to hear three amazing narratives from diverse presenters whose insights will set you on productive courses for internships and research in the sciences and engineering. Engage in further conversation with panelists who represent a treasury of resources to help undergraduates to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Free Event | Refreshments Served | Seating is first-come, first-served

This presentation is part of an ongoing series examining This Is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like.  This spring event is co-sponsored by the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence and Calit2.

Spring 2017

This is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like flyer

NSF ENGINEERING DIRECTOR SPEAKS TO UNDERGRADS AND THOSE SUPPORTING STEM STUDENT SUCCESS ON APR 26

Undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and UCI staff and faculty supporting STEM student success are invited to an April 26 forum and lunch with National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Director James Luther Moore III.  Moore presents on practical ways for students and campus representatives to support engineering career preparation, graduate education, and STEM funding.  The program begins at noon at Calit2 Auditorium. 

Dr. Moore is national leader for the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) program, which aims to broaden inclusion in engineering for all students with a specific focus on those groups currently underrepresented in the engineering workforce.  Moore also is a distinguished professor of urban education, and was the inaugural executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male and the former associate provost for diversity and inclusion at The Ohio State University.  He draws upon decades of research and funding expertise to discuss meaningful approaches for students and campus supporters to improve engineering talent development.

This presentation is part of an ongoing series examining This Is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like.  This spring event is co-sponsored by the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences Office of Access & Inclusion, and Calit2.

2015-2016 Programs 

Winter 2016 Session 1

This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Changing the Face of STEM

January 13, 2016
4-6pm
Calit2

Description:      A three-part series, sponsored by UCI ADVANCE and Calit2, for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

STEM Panel of 5  anteaters – 1/13/16, 4-6pm

Cynthia Guidry, Deputy Executive Director
Bio:  https://www.lawa.org/en/lawa-governance/lawa-airport-management/cynthia-guidry
UCI alum (Civil Engineering)

Frances Diaz, UCI Training Director/Associate Director Career Center
Bio:  https://counseling.uci.edu/staff/
UCI alum (Psychology/Social Behavior)

Linyi Xia, Junior Specialist – Calit2
Bio:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/linyix
UCI alum (Electrical Engineering), current UCLA student

Ohimai Unoje, Current graduate student in Biological Chemistry
Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohimai89

Catherine Ta, Current graduate student in Math
Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-ha-ta-466458b3

Winter 2016 Session 2

This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Internships and Research Opportunities
 
Title: This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Internships and Research Opportunities
Event Date: 2/25/2016 – 2/25/2016
Event Time: 4 p.m.
Event End: 6 p.m.
Location: Calit2 Building Auditorium
Description:     This is the second of a three-part series, sponsored by UCI ADVANCE and Calit2, designed for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This program will explore how students can take advantage of the wealth of internships and research programs available at UC Irvine – and with our many industry partners.

Pizza and drinks will be provided following the presentation.

This event is free, however seating is limited. Select the “Register Now” button to register online to attend this event.
Speakers:
Stephanie Chang is an UCI undergraduate student studying computer science.  She is currently the Google Student Ambassador for UC Irvine, a research assistant at Calit2, and an application developer for UC Irvine Student Housing. She enjoys working with both full stack web and mobile application development and aspires to be a software engineer.

Michelle Foley is a UCI Internship Coordinator. She assists employers in the development and recruitment of interns at all degree levels, and provides student internship advising.

Sharon Parks is the associate director for the UCI Capital Internship Programs, and is responsible for the Washington DC and Sacramento programs, which encourage students to study abroad in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Said Shokair is director of the UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Nearly  2,000 students participate annually in UROP programs. UROP encourages and facilitates faculty-mentored research and creative activities by UCI undergraduates from all schools and academic disciplines.

Spring 2016

This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Entrepreneurial and Career Opportunities
 
Title: This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Entrepreneurial and Career Opportunities
Event Date: 5/4/2016 – 5/4/2016
Event Time: 4 p.m.
Event End: 6 p.m.
Location: Calit2 Building Auditorium
Description:     Final program of a three-part series, sponsored by UCI ADVANCE and Calit2, designed for students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.) This program will include a panel discussion featuring women with successful STEM careers. This is a unique opportunity for students to hear about the triumphs and challenges experienced by women currently working in STEM fields.

Dessert station will be available to attendees after the event.
Speakers:
Victor Liu
UC Irvine alumni Victor Liu and Adam Bonner founded Web Advanced, a full service IT and business consulting agency based in Irvine,in 2000. Liu and Bonner gained extensive experience in designing and developing information systems and technologies while at UCI, and in working for a variety of top-level IT firms such as Microsoft, Accenture and FileNet. The two friends decided to become business partners after discovering that their shared professional interests in web design and custom software development extended to a wider range of business services including marketing and strategic business consulting.

David Ochi
Ochi is an experienced entrepreneur with more than 20 years of start-up experience. He is particularly interested in projects that involve overseas components and strategic management needs. He is leading the implementation of the Blackstone LaunchPad program at UC Irvine as part of the newly established ANTrepreneur Center designed to help student entrepreneurs succeed in their ventures both during and after their experience on campus.

Suzanne Best Foster
Foster was former VP Global IT Services of Broadcom. In her two years with Broadcom she delivered millions in savings year over year through efficiencies, delivery on new and better business focused solutions and managing projects in alignment with cost effective strategies. Foster also has proven experience bringing constructive and positive change to organizations in order to meet (and exceed) their goals in measurable ways. Foster is passionate about moving organizations, goals and people to create and deliver more value. Her experience is in large, global, Fortune 300 companies, and she has expertise in every area of IT and building high performing teams.

Esosa Agbonwaneten
CEO & Founder of Bulletin LLC
Agbonwaneten is a former UCI student and the CEO and Founder of Bulletin LLC. Bulletin is a website that combines the utilities of Facebook and Google documents. The importance of Bulletin is that it combines the usefulness of each site in one platform that makes it easy for students to communicate and transfer information. Currently, developers are working on the website and a phone app that will allow different modes of access. This website is exclusive to college students who have busy schedules and wish to keep their schoolwork organized in one space.

Kelsey Fung
Fung is CEO and cofounder of Au Solutions (biotech). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from UC Irvine. The goal of Au Solutions is to create products that challenge the standard of care for patients suffering from chest trauma. The company strives to create a new gold standard in trauma medicine.Mark Carolino
Carolino is a career counselor at UCI Career Center. He has a degree in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley. Upon graduation he worked at the UC Office of the President, and after conversations with mentors he decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Higher Education at New York University. Carolino spent two years as a career counselor at NYU and is excited to work with students at UCI. He is the liaison for the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.

2014-2015 Programs 

Fall 2014

This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Resources & Advice from Upper-class(wo)men
 
Title: This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Resources & Advice from Upper-class(wo)men
Event Date: 11/5/2014 – 11/5/2014
Event Time: 4:00 p.m.
Event End: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Calit2 Auditorium – Room 1100
Description:     A three-part series, sponsored by UCI ADVANCE and Calit2, for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Winter 2015

This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Internships & Research Opportunities
 
Title: This is What a Scientist and Engineer Looks Like: Internships & Research Opportunities
Event Date: 1/14/2015 – 1/14/2015
Event Time: 4:00 p.m.
Event End: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Calit2 Auditorium – Room 1100
Description:      A three-part series, sponsored by UCI ADVANCE and Calit2, for students interested in Science, Tehcnology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Spring 2015

This is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like: Changing the Face of STEM
 
Title: This is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like: Changing the Face of STEM
Event Date: 4/15/2015 – 4/15/2015
Event Time: 4:00 p.m.
Event End: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Calit2 Building Auditorium
Description:      According to the National Science Foundation’s 2014 report on Science & Engineering Indicators, women receive more than half of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U.S. in biological sciences. They receive far fewer, however, in computer sciences (18.2%), engineering (18.4%), and mathematics and statistics (43.1%). Women remain underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce. They comprise only 13% of all engineers and just 25% of computer and mathematical sciences. Furthermore, minority women comprise fewer than 1 in 10 employed scientists and engineers. UCI is working to improve these statistics by helping our female undergraduate students succeed in these fields.

While this program targets women and underrepresented students, we encourage anyone interested in STEM to attend.
Speakers:
Doris Mattingly is the Director of Engineering for Lantronix, a global provider of smart networking and communications solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. Mattingly is a 25 year veteran in the technology industry. Her past experience includes lead engineering roles with Ericsson, Hughes Aircraft Company, and McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Corp. Mattingly earned her BSEE in Engineering and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University. She and her family are residents of Huntington Beach, California.
 
Lisa Varga is the Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Phoenix Energy Technologies and brings 20+ years of energy and waste management experience to the dynamic PhoenixET Team.  Prior to founding PhoenixET, Varga led sales and marketing efforts for a leading waste management company. She brings a wealth of retail knowledge and experience to the PhoenixET organization, and has put this knowledge to use in some of the industry’s leading trade organizations.  Varga has served on several boards including the Board of Directors for Professional Retail Store Maintenance (PRSM) since 2007. She is the Chairperson and Co-Founder of PRSM’s Sustainability Council, a resource center for green initiatives, legislation, and best practices. She is also Vice-Chairperson for CleanTech OC, an association promoting economic growth in Orange County’s clean technology industry.
 
Athina Markopoulou is an associate professor in the Samueli School of Engineering and co-founder of Shoelace Wireless, Inc., a startup company named for its ability to tie mobile devices together. Markopoulou is the 2014 Samueli School Mid-Career Faculty Research Excellence Awardee. She is a senior member of the IEEE and an associate editor for IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking. She currently serves as the director of UCI’s Graduate Program in Networked Systems. In 2012, Markopoulou won a NSF Innovation Corps grant enabling her to explore the marketability of a Microcast project she and her graduate students were working on, later the project was spun off into Shoelace Wireless.
 
Gina Heitkamp is co-founder of iBesties, a line of books, dolls and online entertainment that aims to inspire entrepreneurship and technology learning in young girls. Heitkamp, along with her sister Jenae, were winners of UCI’s 2014 Merage Business Plan Competition. The sisters were the first all-female team to win and first toy idea to take the 11-year-old contest. Earlier this year, they showed iBesties at February’s Toy Fair 2015 in New York City. Heitkamp has an MBA for the Merage School and several years of working on social networking startup companies.
 
Denise Khaw is the employer outreach specialist at UCI’s Career Center. In her role, Khaw helps students apply for and participate in UCI’s Job Shadow Program. The Career Center offers many informative programs and employment counseling for students and Khaw will address those opportunities.
Directions: Map and parking: http://goo.gl/2nAdTu

Anteater Parking Structure, $2/hour