Scholar Newsletter

Posted on May 23, 2024-Augsburg University

Michael Wentzel has been named the inaugural Terry ’73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professor of Chemistry at Augsburg University, effective June 1, 2024.

“We are so fortunate to have Michael Wentzel on our faculty,” said Paula O’Loughlin, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs. “He is an extraordinary teacher and an outstanding scientist. Even more significant is his generosity as a colleague and mentor. By engaging undergraduate students as partners in his own impressive research program, he helps students unlock possibilities they never imagined before, both for themselves and for a more sustainable future.”

Wentzel is an organic chemist whose research focuses on the growing field of green chemistry, a systems-based approach that incorporates sustainability considerations into the the design, development, and implementation of chemical products and processes. As one of the first green chemists to be named a fellow by the Science Communication Network in 2018–19, he also works to help students and other researchers communicate their methods and findings to the public more effectively.

Wentzel received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2011. He joined Augsburg’s chemistry department in 2013, where he currently oversees STEM summer research and serves as department chair. He also serves as interim director of Augsburg’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity.

“Michael Wentzel’s approach to teaching and scholarship is exactly the kind of leadership Terry and Janet Lindstrom desired to support with their transformative investment in our new School of Natural Sciences,” said Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. “Whether in the lab, in the classroom, or on the chemistry club intramural basketball team, he is steadfast in his commitment to hands-on learning and in saying ‘yes’ to helping our students reach their goals.”

The Terry ’73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professorship of Chemistry was established in 2024. Terry Lindstrom, a current member of Augsburg’s Board of Regents and a retired distinguished research fellow at Eli Lilly and Company, holds numerous patents supporting life-changing drugs, including Evista and Cymbalta. Together, the Lindstroms have provided generous philanthropic support to Augsburg students for more than 40 years.

Hello everyone! I wanted to share some updates. As of June 1, 2024, I am retiring from my full-time role at Augsburg and am honored to now be faculty emerita. I will be continuing as the Principal Investigator (PI) of PRISM in a part-time role. I am very grateful for our strong shared leadership model and the collaborative spirit which grows from our shared passion to support STEM success for all of our students.

I want to extend a special thanks to my Augsburg colleagues Dr. Jennifer Brookins-King, PRISM Project Director, and Janet Morales, STEM Grants Coordinator, for surprising me during our celebration of graduating seniors with the appearance of special guests including cherished colleagues from across our partners, alumni of the program, and my husband and daughter. It was an event that I will always cherish in my heart.

On June 1, 2024, Dr. Jennifer Brookins-King assumed the role of PRISM Project Director. Dr. Brookins-King has served as PRISM Program Manager since April 2021.

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in educational management and over 10 years of college teaching experience. She strongly believes in the motto “students first” and is deeply committed to helping all students achieve their educational goals, especially students who are first-generation, income eligible, and students with disabilities.

Jennifer is very enthusiastic about her new role as PRISM director and continuing to work passionately with PRISM scholars and colleagues. One professional opportunity she definitely looks forward to with the scholars is attending the upcoming November 2024 S-STEM Scholar Meeting in Chicago, IL, her native home!

Steven Geller - Director of Media and Public Relations 13 May 2024-Normandale

The Director of White House Office of Science and Technology Arati Prabhakar and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology Laurie E. Locascio visited campus on May 13 to talk to Normandale STEM students and faculty and staff.

At the visit to Normandale, Dr. Prabhakar and Under Secretary Loscasio met with 18 STEM student, Normandale President Joyce Ester, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Kristina Keller, Dean of STEM Avani Shah, and several faculty and staff members from the STEM area.

Normandale STEM students in attendance were part of the Academy of Math and Science, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, and the Rocket Club, and represented a variety of programs at the college.

The discussion with the students mostly was around the present and future of science and technology, and understanding and managing the risk of AI.

Dr. Prabhakar and Under Secretary Locascio also visited Polar Semiconductor earlier in the day for an announcement regarding the CHIPS and Science Act. Last summer Normandale worked Greater MSP to host a roundtable discussion about growing the semiconductor industry led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Renu Kumar recently attended the White House Summit on #STEMM Equity and Excellence co-hosted by @WHOSTP_AP and @SOA_2050 in Washington, D.C., describing the experience as inspiring and informative.

The Annual PRISM Professional Development Day was held on Wednesday, May 15th at Augsburg University. There were 24 participants in attendance representing Augsburg, Century College, Minneapolis College, Normandale Community College, and the Minnesota Private College Council.

Session included:

I. Early Undergraduate Research Experience

• Undergraduate Research and Community College Contexts
• LS-NSSA Pathways to Research Program

II. Crucial, Practical, Steps for High-impact Change

III. PRISM Mentorship Shared Practices

V. Working Groups:

We are excited to announce the continuation of the oSTEM Scholarship Program! For the 2024 scholarship cycle, we have 14 distinct (26 total) scholarships that members of the LGBTQ+ STEM community can apply for. Please check out the available scholarships below, along with our application questions and guidance document for your personal statement. We look forward to your applications!

How does it work?

Our general application can be used to apply to any (and multiple) of the scholarships that we offer. Additionally, you can opt into the community funded scholarships through this same form. We've included a downloadable PDF of the criteria which will be used to score the applications as well as a PDF of the questions on the application form.

What are the requirements to apply for the scholarships?

Below you can find the requirements for the scholarships available. While being an oSTEM member isn't required, we would obviously love anyone who applies to join our organization. You can register for free here.

• Must be attending or enrolled in a community college, undergraduate, or graduate institutions.
• Pursuing a degree in a STEM field.
• Institution must be based in a country where oSTEM has active chapters: USA, United Kingdom, Canada.
• Completed at least one semester at an institute of higher education.
• Applicants must identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Please note that GPA is not a requirement or a criteria for oSTEM scholarships, but may be for sponsor organization scholarships.

To help you prepare for your application, you can review the helpful hints document and expanded eligibility requirements below.

View Helpful Hints Document

View Expanded Eligibility Requirements

If you have any questions about the scholarship program, the criteria, or anything else please email scholarship@ostem.org.

Important Dates & Deadlines

Application Submissions Open: Open Now
Application Submissions Close: June 16, 2024 11:59 pm PDT

Scholarships Available

Partner Funded

• Five $5,000 Scholarships funded by Chevron
• Three $4,500 Scholarships funded by Ansys
• Four $2,500 Scholarships funded by Genmab
• One $2,500 Scholarship funded by Qualcomm ERG
• One $2,500 Scholarship funded by CACI
• One $2,500 Scholarship funded by Arup
• One $2,500 Scholarship funded by Piedmont Airlines
• Two $2,500 Scholarships funded by Actalent
• One $2,900 Scholarship funded by Novelis
• One $2,500 Scholarship funded by Tighe & Bond

oSTEM Funded

• One $2,500 oSTEM Community College Scholarships
• Two $5,000 oSTEM Undergraduate Scholarships
• Two $5,000 oSTEM Graduate Scholarships

Community Funded

• One $2,500 Trans Resilience in STEM

Share this with others!

We've put together a communication packets you can use to share this scholarship opportunity with others. It has graphics, blurbs, and the important information you need.

View Communication Packet

Student Workers

Student workers have a strong presence at MnDOT. This is due to our commitment, as a workplace of choice, to build and maintain a diverse workforce of individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences and qualifications. Our student workers bring fresh perspectives, openness to growth and an eagerness to learn. Student worker jobs are designed to provide students in secondary, post-secondary and graduate study with employment that assists them in reaching identifiable educational goals.

Hours

Students typically work part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer and on breaks. Specific hours are determined based on student availability and office/supervisor need.

Pay

Rates are between $16.82 and $22.26 per hour depending on qualifications and positions available.

Benefits

Depending on length of employment and hours worked, students may be eligible for:

• Paid vacation
• Sick leave
• Paid holidays

Students are not eligible for health or dental insurance, pension or other benefits.

Qualifications

You must be a student enrolled in high school or in a post-secondary or graduate program.

• If enrolled in a credit-granting institution you must be taking at least six semester credits or nine quarter credits
• If enrolled in non-credit granting institution or earning only one-credit per class you must be taking at least two or more classes per semester/quarter
• If in graduate studies you must be enrolled in at least two courses or working on a dissertation

SciTech connects college STEM majors to paid internships at small Minnesota companies -- it's a one-stop shop for finding STEM internships statewide! Gain hands-on experience, network with pros, build your resume, and "earn while you learn."

In order to be eligible for SciTech internships, students must meet the following criteria:

• Minnesota resident OR living in and attending college in Minnesota
• At least 18 years of age
• In good academic standing (2.5+ GPA)
• College junior or senior (at least 60 credits completed) OR
• Technical or community college student (at least 24 credits completed) OR
• Enrolled in a STEM degree at an accredited U.S. college
• Legally eligible to work in the U.S. (international students may participate if they have CPT/OPT work authorization)

Deadline to apply: Varies

For more information on how to apply and to view a list of current internship opportunities, visit https://scitechmn.org/.

Wallin's UpTurnships program provides highly motivated, underrepresented college students with paid internships and projects. Our career experiences are for college sophomores, juniors, and seniors currently enrolled in a two-year or four-year college or university.

To help students succeed in their careers, we offer two incredible UpTurnships pathways: Flagship and Projects.

UpTurnships
​​Flagship

Our UpTurnships Flagship provides interns with paid full-time work experience across 12 weeks in summer, professional development training, and 1:1 support from a program coach.

UpTurnships
​Projects

Our UpTurnships Projects is a 10-week pathway that provides interns with a 40 hour paid work experience, weekly 2-hour professional development trainings, and 1:1 support from a program coach.

Information Sessions: Register

Information sessions are an essential part of the UpTurnships application process. Here you will learn more about the UpTurnships program model, the application process, and be able to ask any questions you have. 30-minute information sessions are hosted on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Tuesdays at 10:00 AM CST
Thursdays at 4:00 PM CST

Visit our website for more information: https://www.wallinpartners.org/upturnships.html

Interested in learning more about advocacy, research and how it relates to the human experience? NSF Gallery Images? Click below:

• Diversity in Action: 10th Anniversary Issue

  Celebrating a decade of highlighting the best and brightest in diversity and STEAM, we catch up with some of our favorite subjects to learn how they continue to lead in their fields: Diversity in Action May/June 2024 Issue

• NSF-supported research impacts nearly every field of science and engineering. NSF's influence reaches from the ends of the Earth to the depths of the oceans and to space and beyond. Our Multimedia Gallery has some of the most stunning images from NSF’s research legacy. We have pulled some of the most beautiful gallery images for you to use as a virtual background.

Do you have suggestions for opportunities to include in the upcoming newsletter? Feel free to forward them to stem@augsburg.edu.

Email: stem@augsburg.edu
Website: https://www.augsburg.edu/stem/
Location: 2211 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone: (612) 330-1042