The Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Award is given to an individual or team for the development or implementation of a program, innovation, or intervention (within the last 3 years) that supports equity in STEM at U-M.
Congratulations to the BME Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP), which received the Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Award on April 11. This honor, given as part of the Willie Hobbs Moore Awards, focuses on a new project on campus that has made a substantial and innovative contribution to DEI in STEM.
BME students Donia Ahmed, Kelly Crumley, Samantha Schwartz, Emily Thomas, Irene Zhang, Firaol Midekssa, Meagan Brucker-Hahn, Jyotirmoy Roy, Yuru Chen and Margaret Stanley were honored, along with co-advisor Karin Jensen, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering.
BME GAAP is an initiative started by the BME DEI committee in 2022, including student co-founders Firaol Midekssa, Irene Zhang, and alumni Elizabeth Bottorff and Theo Hopper. This student-run organization supports prospective applicants from non-traditional paths or historically disadvantaged backgrounds by pairing them with current graduate students who can help review application materials throughout the process of applying to a BME Ph.D. program.
“As a first-gen student myself, my mentors throughout undergrad are the reason why I’m here,” said Donia Ahmed. “I believe we need to provide these resources to students who may not have the access to learn how to navigate the complexities of grad school, and it was important for us to provide this program’s resources for anyone applying to graduate school, Michigan or elsewhere. Increasing resource equity to amplify diverse generations of PhDs inevitably helps the BME community as a whole–the more representation we see everywhere, the more access future applicants will hopefully have as they navigate research and academia.’
Firaol Midekssa added: “Besides working towards increasing diversity in biomedical engineering graduate programs across the country, what makes this program even cooler is that it’s a student-led initiative. It’s great to see graduate students who are often really busy put some time aside to help prospective graduate students with their graduate application journey.”
“It’s been inspiring to see the dedication our mentors have shown, volunteering time out of their busy schedules to attend our workshops and meet with their mentees,” said Kelly Crumley. “We have received so much positive feedback from both mentors and the applicants, which has given us the opportunity to make positive changes going into each iteration of the program. It has been a privilege to help make graduate school more accessible to so many outstanding prospective students who may have benefitted from our support in their application process.”
U-M Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) hosts the annual Willie Hobbs Moore Awards recognizing faculty, staff, and students who demonstrate excellence promoting equity in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Award is given to an individual or team for the development or implementation of a program, innovation, or intervention (within the last 3 years) that supports equity in STEM at U-M.