SPOTLIGHT on Women in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 2017–2018
We imagine
design and build
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What’s New in CEMS The College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) has cultivated a research and discovery-focused learning community intent on designing a better future. Engineering, computer science, mathematics and statistics students are empowered to confront complex societal challenges with interdisciplinary solutions, translating the theoretical into practical benefit. Spotlight on Women in CEMS profiles current students and faculty as well as recent graduates who are applying the education they received at UVM and building their careers. We hope you enjoy getting to know our students, faculty and alumnae. If you have any further questions about pursuing a degree with CEMS, don’t hesitate to contact our Student Services office. cems.student.services@uvm.edu (802) 656-3392 We look forward to hearing from you!
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Undergraduate Programs at CEMS • Biomedical Engineers work at the interface between engineering and the biomedical sciences. The BME degree leverages strong ties between UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and the Larner College of Medicine that enable unique interdisciplinary opportunities for our undergraduate students in terms of courses, projects and research. • Civil Engineers plan, design, construct, preserve and rehabilitate safe and resilient infrastructure such as bridges, highways, buildings, dams, smart transportation, water supply, energy and wastewater. Play an integral role in creating a sustainable world and enhancing the global quality of life. • Electrical Engineers design and implement alternative energy solutions, including a smarter grid; create the latest silicon chips used in smartphones; build mobile wireless computing platforms; develop electronic control systems that enable drones and self-driving cars; and work on biomedical electronics and sensors. • Environmental Engineers integrate quantitative methods with sustainable design and process understanding to solve contemporary environmental problems and protect public health. Address climate adaptation and mitigation, natural resource depletion, air pollution, water and wastewater management, groundwater contamination, alternative energy sources and community development.
• Mechanical Engineers design space habitation facilities for space exploration; push the boundaries of aerospace and ground transportation technologies to reduce pollution; improve sustainable energy systems such as wind power and solar energy; develop new materials and sensors to improve health care; design 3D printing technologies to address the emerging needs of manufacturing. • Computer Scientists create innovative mobile and web apps with user-friendly interfaces; develop efficient and intelligent algorithms to solve a variety of problems, such as finding useful patterns in big data and creating adaptive robots through simulated evolution; engineer the software of the future in this Digital Age. • Mathematicians & Statisticians develop critical thinking, hone problem-solving skills and gain the tools necessary to analyze data; learn to navigate a data-centric world where mathematical modeling and statistical analyses are integral to finance, medicine, engineering and the world’s most monumental challenges. • Data Scientists meet the challenge of discovering and visualizing useful information in the age of big data; combine approaches from statistics, computer science and mathematics; develop skills that are in high demand in both industry and research.
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Charlene Mburu
Electrical Engineering major | Class of 2018 | Nairobi, Kenya
In Charlene’s home country of Kenya, she says much of the population does not have access to grid electricity, and in the short-term, the only way to provide electricity is through renewable-energy options including wind and solar power. This has shaped her career plans. “I aim to be part of the innovative group designing simple off-grid energy generation and distribution systems for rural communities in my country as well as other developing countries. With such sources of electricity, the communities could use it to pump water from rivers for irrigation and domestic use. This would enhance food security and improve their livelihoods,” she said. Charlene is already making good progress toward her career goals. In the summer of 2016 she interned at global energy supplier E.ON, working on renewables, energy networks and off-grid solutions. She is currently doing Packetized Energy Management research. “I have no limits except my own.”
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“The fact that women are underrepresented not mean we are any less talented or deserving of a seat at the table.”
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Megan Yeigh
Mechanical Engineering major | Class of 2016 | Annapolis, Maryland
Megan knew in high school she wanted to be an engineer after hearing a lecture on tissue engineering. She later chose UVM because of the strong ties between CEMS and the Larner College of Medicine. UVM’s highly ranked sailing team also helped cement her decision and in her senior year she became the team’s president. She advises new students to get involved with a club or a sport to round out their university experience. William Louisos was one of her most inspiring professors. “His classes truly challenged me and led me to become a more innovative thinker,” she says. In 2017 Megan is taking the next step in her career and taking on new challenges. She’s enrolled in the Master of Engineering Management program at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering.
“At UVM, I have felt that I have had every opportunity possible open to me.”
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Julianna Roen
Computer Science major | Class of 2016 | Burlington, Vermont
While a student at CEMS, Julianna found ways to network and meet other women in STEM fields. “There is a lot of support for student clubs, projects and other opportunities,” she says. She made helpful connections through UVM’s Society of Women in Computer Science (SWICS),was a leader of the student-run computer science community CS Crew, and helped with web development and marketing for CEMS’ annual Computer Science Fair. Her involvement in the CS community provided her with valuable leadership experience. “I’ve become better at asserting my ideas and making calls on decisions that affect a large number of people,” she says. After spending her final semester in college abroad in Australia, Julianna earned degrees in both Computer Science and Studio Art. She is currently doing full-stack web development for the HR software company Gusto in San Francisco.
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“I love the close connection that the teachers and students share with each other in CEMS.”
Emily Phelps
Mathematics & Statistics major | Class of 2016 | Colchester, Vermont
Of all the things Emily liked about being a CEMS student, feeling supported was high on the list. So was her adviser, Joan “Rosi” Rosebush, her first math professor at UVM. “She supported me throughout college and cemented my faith in pursuing a math degree multiple times, right from that first semester,” says Emily, who is pursuing a career in the field of data mining. As a founding member of CEMS SMART (the College’s peer mentoring club), she returned that support. “Through this experience, I’ve learned how to effectively work with a group to implement a goal, and I’ve expanded my skills in teaching and connecting with younger students,” Emily says. Emily is currently putting her mathematics and statistics knowledge to good use in her new position at Vermont Federal Credit Union.
“Going abroad helped me discover what I want to do with my education and career.”
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Libby Coleman
Civil Engineering major | Class of 2016 | Chatham, New Jersey
Libby’s dream is to design and manage sustainable building projects. “My hope is that eventually my work and accomplishments will contribute toward a societal consciousness about how we build and alter our infrastructure,” Libby says. She found plenty of support at CEMS, especially from faculty member Donna Rizzo. “Her strong personality and clear passion for not only the course material but also for the education of her students was inspiring to me,” Libby says. She urges new students to take advantage of faculty office hours and participate in a study group. Close relationships with faculty and fellow engineering students helped Libby get into her dream graduate program and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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“The students at UVM are open-minded, accepting, social and environmental activists, and people that you want to be surrounded by.”
Kira Kelley
Environmental Engineering major | Class of 2016 | Hartland, Vermont
When we spoke with Kira during her senior year at CEMS she was a tutor with UVM’s Learning Co-op and a teaching assistant. “It’s tempting to offer answers too quickly to students’ questions, but I am learning to wait, to push students to try solutions on their own and to be creative when faced with roadblocks, so they develop habits of making several attempts before conceding defeat to Yahoo! Answers,” she says. Kira took advantage of diverse leadership opportunities while at UVM. For example, at the Student Research Conference, she and other students presented their findings on the issue of fossil fuel divestment at UVM, and she was captain of the women’s rugby team. Additionally she received a prestigious Barrett Scholarship, a program that offers competitive paid awards to outstanding undergraduate engineers who wish to pursue a specific research project under the mentorship of a faculty member. Kira is currently pursuing an environmental law degree at Vermont Law School. Her advice to women in CEMS? “Be bold. Once you know the ropes a bit, be vocal in class when you don’t understand something, and don’t fixate on gender or let it be a deterrent to you being visible in a situation,” she says.
“In CEMS, there are so many incredible female faculty members, I have no shortage of role models or inspiration here.”
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FACULTY PROFILES Margaret (Maggie) Eppstein, Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Computer Science, CEMS
Dr. Maggie Eppstein has a broad transdisciplinary background in biology, engineering, and computing and brings all of these areas together in her research program. “I just want to understand everything about how the world works and make it a better place – working as a computational scientist is so fun because I get to work on such diverse problems that it is never boring!” Her research spans modeling and analysis of complex systems in a variety of physical, biological, sociological, and technological systems, and includes developing and applying bio-inspired approaches to artificial intelligence, such as evolutionary algorithms (which evolve solutions to problems in science
“This is an amazing time to go into computing, with unprecedented opportunities. Computers are a ubiquitous and growing presence in all aspects of modern society, and thus there is huge and increasing demand for computing professionals that is far from being met by the profile of today’s graduates.” and engineering) and artificial neural networks (which learn in ways modeled on how our brains work). She has worked on a wide range of problems including medical imaging, invasive plants, surface water runoff and healthcare systems. Her current projects include modeling the evolution of drug resistance in malaria (and exploring ways to help slow it down), and assessing risk of cascading failures in power grids (and exploring ways to help mitigate this risk).
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Rachael Oldinski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, CEMS Assistant Professor, Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, CEMS Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Larner College of Medicine Director of the Engineered Biomaterials Research Laboratory, CEMS Rachel Oldinski works across the disciplines of mechanical engineering and medicine, using biomaterial science and biotechnology to find new treatments for diseases such as osteoarthritis, periodontal disease and lung ailments. She and her student researchers engineer polymeric materials and other biological scaffolds to regenerate human body tissue and assist with drug delivery. Oldinski actively mentors her undergraduate and graduate students, supporting their ongoing publication and presentation of research findings. She frequently collaborates with professors from multiple colleges on campus. Most recently she developed an innovative film – created from elements extracted from seaweed – that can be used to patch holes in a patients’ lungs. “The cool part
“I was attracted to the collaborative nature of the research being conducted at UVM, especially between the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and the Larner College of Medicine. Coming from a small undergratuate college, I feel very comfortable with the size of UVM. The UVM community has been very welcoming, and I feel at home.” about this contact-lens-like film is that one side is slippery and the other side sticks to the lung, forming a sort of Band-Aid,” she explains. The team just won a SPARK-VT seed grant from UVM’s Office of the Vice President for Research to move their innovative work one step closer to the marketplace.
Donna Rizzo, Ph.D.
Cathy Bliss, Ph.D.
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QUESTIONS? Please contact us:
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences E-Mail cems.student.services@uvm.edu Phone 802-656-3392 Website www.cems.uvm.edu
Programs that you can pursue in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Department of Mathematics & Statistics BS, Mathematical Sciences, Major in Mathematics BS, Mathematical Sciences, Major in Statistics
Engineering ABET-Accredited Programs BS, Civil Engineering BS, Electrical Engineering BS, Environmental Engineering BS, Mechanical Engineering
Department of Computer Science and Department of Mathematics and Statistics BS, Major in Data Science
ABET-Accreditation Expected BS, Biomedical Engineering Interdisciplinary Engineering Programs Engineering BA, Engineering BS, Engineering BS, Engineering Management Department of Computer Science BS, Computer Science BS, Major in Computer Science & Information Systems
CEMS’ Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) allows talented undergraduates to complete a Master of Science degree in one additional year in the following areas: Civil & Environmental Engineering Complex Systems & Data Science Computer Science Electrical Engineering Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Statistics
PHOTO CREDITS: Rick Levinson, Sally McCay, Erin Wheat, Mads Almassalkhi
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802-656-3392 www.cems.uvm.edu cems.student.services@uvm.edu