STRENGTHENING COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUPPORT
In its inaugural year, the Office of Student Engagement and Well-Being (SEWB) has already taken measurable steps to significantly increase ECE’s student support services.
Leveraging the achievements of last year’s ECE Cares initiatives, SEWB operates as a support catalyst, enabling students to achieve success. Supporting both undergraduate and graduate students in their goals, these services promote habit essential life skills, and mental health.
Directed by Lakshmi Raju, SEWB launched the Conference and Career Development Support Fund, organized wellness events around important topics both such as time-management and stress, established a more streamlined approach to matching faculty and students for research collaborations, and many other impactful endeavors this year.
Raju Named Inaugural Director of
ECE SEWB
Integration into the School’s organizational structure is a fundamental requirement for the success of the Office of Student Engagement and Well-Being. Lakshmi Raju, an accomplished ECE graduate with bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees, brings both the expertise and dedication needed to champion this vitally important initiative.
“My goal is simple: I want to make life a bit easier for students.
The ECE major is tough, college itself is a challenge, and life, in general, can be very difficult,” said Raju. “Some difficulties are just part of the process, but others don’t have to be, and that’s what
we’re targeting here.”
Raju stresses that SEWB doesn’t work in isolation. The office has already teamed up with other parts of campus to provide a complete support package. One success story is the partnership with the Wellness Empowerment Center to provide wellness workshops for ECE students covering topics like stress and time management.
New Travel Fund Takes ECE Students Beyond Campus to Learn and Network
ECE’s Conference and Career Development Support Fund, launched by SEWB in December, helps students attend conferences and other experiences to complement their studies.
Highlights from the Spring 2023 semester include Cmp.E undergraduate Mohit Pinninti receiving support to attend MIT Reality Hack, and providing travel grants to seven ECE students to attend this year’s National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Annual Conference in Kansas City.
“I wouldn’t be going to the conference without the ECE fund,” said Ph.D. candidate Micky Nnamdi, who attended NSBE with the help of the support fund. “This experience will help my research in a new way. Since the focus is a national event for Black engineers, I hope to expand my engineering knowledge and network with engineers and scientists in the industry.”
Inaugural Graduate Fellowship and Awards Promote Professional Development
In partnership with the Office of Graduate Affairs, SEWB helped introduced three new fellowships and awards for graduate students this year, including the INSPIRE Fellowship for interdisciplinary research, the STEER Fellowship for teaching excellence, and the CREATION Award for enhancing graduate-level courses.
The initiatives aim to support the professional development and diverse career aspirations of exceptional graduate students while fostering innovation and collaboration within the ECE community.
“We are committed to exploring innovative ways to enhance the professional development of our doctoral students,” said Matthieu Bloch, associate chair for graduate affairs and professor. “These new opportunities reflect the diverse career aspirations of our students, ranging from technical leadership to entrepreneurship and education.”