A group of advanced doctoral students of the MSU Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate traveled in mid-February to Washington, D.C for four days. The students visited the National Science Foundation, discussed topics with elected representatives on Capitol Hill and recruited students during the Emerging Researchers National conference.
The trip was an initiative of the MSU Center for Academic and Future Faculty Excellence. The participants represented graduate programs in the fields of education, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering.
Ashley Hannah , a graduate student in the neuroscience program, said she enjoyed the visits to Capitol Hill and NSF because she learned how government agencies interact with one another and their roles in funding scientific research.
AGEP members helped to recruit undergraduate students for MSU graduate and summer internship programs during the ERN conference. The graduate students judged posters and oral presentations of young scholars.
“In preparation in becoming a faculty member, I think it is important to engage in active recruitment fairs but also indirect opportunities to inquire about their interests and encourage them to come to graduate school,” graduate student Kellie Mayfield said.