GEM Fellows to Travel to Texas for National Conference

Two graduate students from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences recently attended the 2024 National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) Annual Board Meeting and Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Brandon Banarsi and Oscar Bonilla from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are GEM fellows from Stony Brook University.

The GEM Conference aims to “ignite dynamic discussions on innovative solutions for advancing graduate education” and specifically focuses on helping historically underrepresented groups. This year the conference is celebrating 46 years of “Advancing Scientific Impact,” which offers opportunities to boost GEM’s mission across the country. 

“My biggest hope is to network with other GEM fellows and connect with the vast array of employers who align with my career niche,” said Bonilla. “It would be really beneficial to foster a tight-knit community of people who are also interested in teaching, so we can support each other. That way, if someone needs help or isn’t sure how to start their teaching career, we’ll be there to guide them.”

The GEM fellowship aids graduate students in funding their degree. Additionally, GEM partners students with an organization or company to provide them with experience and a stipend. 

“The students have a direct connection to competitive academic institutions, including Stony Brook,” said Rosalia Davi, a program manager at the Stony Brook Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), which houses the GEM Fellowship. “So companies are excited to recruit them, and break down the barriers of entering the workforce.”

GEM also connects industry and academia, a pathway that is typically not connected.

“It’s a very forward-thinking organization and it’s helping to break down silos where once academia and industry didn’t really talk to each other,” said Davi. “But now more and more we see the need for there to be partnerships so that folks who are being educated are also being prepared for the workforce and seeing a path forward.”

There are typically less graduate students than undergraduate students in programs at universities. As a result, it is harder for graduate students to form connections and build a community with their peers. GEM helps to bridge that gap.

“For graduate school, there is a lot less community,” said Banarsi. “Having something like this GEM fellowship ties you to someone else who is from the same economic background or social background or upbringing or similar field of study. And I think that’s crucial at Stony Brook.”

The GEM fellowship opens many doors for graduate students in the beginning stages of their career. CIE hopes to recruit more members to aid even more graduate students.

— Angelina Livigni