Two students pursuing doctoral degrees were recognized at the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Annual Principal Investigators and Project Directors Meeting on Oct. 24-26 in Washington, D.C. Boise State Bridge to the Doctorate Fellows Mone’t Sawyer (biomedical engineering) and Helina Alvarez (ecology, evolution and behavior) presented posters at this year’s conference.
Sawyer was awarded a Top Doctoral Presentation Award for her “exemplary research presentation.” She is advised by Professor David Estrada and is currently a graduate research assistant in his Advanced Nanomaterials and Manufacturing Laboratory. Alvarez’s faculty advisor is Professor Libby Lunstrum.
Boise State staff members Donna Llewellyn and James Fredricksen were in attendance. Speaking about the award, Llewellyn commented, “We are extremely proud of all of our Bridge to the Doctorate students. Mone’t presented an excellent poster and it is really wonderful to see her honored at a national conference for her impactful work.”
This year’s theme was “Enhancing Social Mobility Through STEM: The CHIPS and Science Act.” The annual gathering brings together all Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation stakeholders like program directors, officers, business and industry partners, principal investigators, project directors and associates. They meet, network and discuss progress, programming and recent advances in broadening participation in STEM.