Truchan STEM Community Connection Network

Real-World Skills
Real-World Impact

Community is created for Alverno STEM students through interconnected experiences across curriculum, co-curriculum, and culture. Our students have unique opportuntities to engage with peers and faculty, STEM professionals, community service, their social network, and scientific research that impacts the biological and physical environment in which they live. Active participation in these various communities has been documented to increase student success in STEM, particularly with women and students of color.

Alverno's Truchan STEM Community Impact Program is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic Serving Institution award #2122903.

Varied Experiences
Interconnected Communities

truchan-physical-image-new.jpg

  • Field work, greenhouse work
  • Mary Ellen Powers Summer Research Fellowship

IMG_9292.JPEG

Alverno Student Groups

  • ASHA (Alverno Student Healthcare Associatio)
  • Team Green
  • Alverno Minds over Matter
  • Peer Mentors in math and science

NSMT Community Clubhouse

Copy_of_IMG_4396_(1).JPG

  • NSMT majors
  • Support for travel to professional conferences
  • Summer research opportunities
  • Individualized academic advising
  • Internship guidance

truchan-stem-community-new.jpg

  • Alverno Career Studio
  • Alumni Network - Alverno Sisters in STEM
  • Opportunities to join professional organziations
  • Opportunities for traveling to professional conferences
  • WE-172 Career Exploration Course

truchan-field-study-biology-new-0001.jpg

  • Student Internships
  • Community Day
  • Outside community organization invovlement
  • Effective Citizenship Projects
Student Engagement Opportunities

How do you ensure that students get valuable professional experiences? It takes a little flexibility, a lot of creativity, and a whole lot of community partners who are dedicated to Alverno’s student-centered mission. We are grateful for the companies, organizations, and institutions who welcome Alverno students to their teams for hands-on experience that enhances their Alverno education, including:

 

We are proud to announce that in April, 9 students and 6 faculty will be presenting their work in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research!

Afnan Alsiyami - "Determination of nickel's effects on Wisconsin fast plants"

Melanie Garcia-Quezada - "The determination of ditalopram in the Kinnickinnic River from Milwaukee, Wisconsin"

Mei Ling Hansen - "A look into the mind: How the type of mindset affects self-esteem"

Andrea Herrera - "Isolation of compost bacteria with antimicrobial activity against human, fish, and plant pathogens"

Merub Irfan - "'Rise and Shine': Professional trajectories of women cancer scientists: A qualitative study of career narratives"

Michal Irfan - "Identification of bacterial genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis"

Marinelle Manuntag - "Antimicrobial activity of earthworm and raw honey bacteria against human and fish pathogenic bacteria"

Carla Rodriguez Mendez - "Isolation of secondary metabolites from antimicrobial producing bacterial isolates"

Ameeera Pearsall - "Associations between early life stress and problematic alcohol use: The mediating efects pf executive fenction components"

Merub Irfan has been accepted to present a poster and compete for an award at the Women’s History Month Symposium: Broadening Our Views on Gender on March 2, 2023. This event at the Medical College of Wisconsin is sponsored by The Center for the Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM). Merub will present on research she did last summer as a part of the SPARCC program at MCW: ‘Rise and Shine’: Professional Trajectories of Women Cancer Scientists: ?A Qualitative Study of Career Narratives.

Mikki Ray and Angela Frey - "Enhancing STEM identity among women through participation in community STEM activities: An ecological systems theory approach" - they will describing the foundational theory and design of the Truchan STEM Community Impact Program (T-SCIP) NSF grant.

Angela Frey (panel member) - “Expanding the participation of underrepresented groups in undergraduate research and creative inquiry" - Angela will be presenting on the programs and efforts in AIMS (Alverno Initiatives in Math and Science), including a T-SCIP community engagement capstone course coordinated with Jenny Johanson

Eulandria Biddle, Jenna Coss, Lauralee Guilbault and Megan Krueger - "Pipeline to Success through Research and Community Connections for Underrepresented Women in STEM Majors" - they will be describing the developmental approach to connect high school (Girls Academy), beginning level (USDA) and advanced (Powers) sponsored STEM research.

  • Summary of Alverno's summer research projects
  • Effective Citizenship Projects
  • Student internships
  • Monthly peer mentoring meetings
  • STEM affinity groups/NSMT Student Affinity Groups
    • Team Green
    • New Futures in Science and Mathematics
      • National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program award #1742597.
    • Greenhouse student lab assistants
    • Biology and chemistry student lab assistants
  • ASHA (Alverno Student Healthcare Association)
  • NSMT Community Clubhouse
    • Lunch & Learn series
  • Earth Day 
  • Spring Biannual NSMT Luncheon (May 5th, 2023)
  • Alumni Mentoring Network - Alverno Sisters in STEM

Angela Frey

Angela Frey, PhD
Executive Director, Center for Academic Excellence
Principal Investigator for the T-SCIP program

angela.frey@alverno.edu

Heather Mernitz, Ph.D.

Heather Mernitz, PhD
Professor of Physical Science
STEM Chair

heather.mernitz@alverno.edu

BECOME INVOLVED IN THE ALVERNO MATH AND SCIENCE COMMUNITY!

Get in touch!

Have questions about studying at Alverno? We invite you to connect with our Admissions team to learn more.

Ready for what's next

Alverno College