GradTrack Launches Fourth Year, Shaping the Future of Graduate STEM Education
GradTrack is an online mentoring initiative designed to empower junior and senior undergraduates from across the U.S. to excel in academic, professional, and research pursuits while fostering a commitment to broadening participation in engineering. Scholars participate in eight online meetings from August to December, gaining exclusive networking opportunities with Purdue Graduate Students and developing competitive application documents for graduate school or summer research opportunities.
As GradTrack enters its fourth year, the program continues to broaden participation in graduate education by preparing undergraduates, building community, and advancing professional development. Recently honored as the 2023 CoNECD Program of the Year, GradTrack aligns with Purdue College of Engineering's Mission 2023, which aims to create the largest, best-prepared, and most diverse engineering talent pool in the nation by 2030.
Over the past three years, the program has supported 10 mentees who have earned the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), along with other distinguished awards such as the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and GEM Fellowships. Notably, 70% of GradTrack graduates are pursuing advanced degrees, with nearly one in three continuing their studies at Purdue. The 2024 cohort includes mentees from over 55 leading universities, guided by 26 dedicated Purdue Engineering graduate student mentors who make a significant impact on graduate education.
We extend our sincere thanks to our mentors and their supportive faculty members—your invaluable contributions are making a lasting impact on the future of graduate education.
For more information, visit www.engr.purdue.edu/gradtrack
| Graduate Student Mentor: | School: | Faculty member: |
|---|---|---|
| Fernando Aguilera de Alba | Biomedical Engineering | Michael Heinz |
| Antonio Alvarez Valdivia | Mechanical Engineering | Laura Blumenschein |
| Joreen Arigye | Engineering Education | Senay Purzer |
| Lexy Arinze | Civil Engineering, Engineering Education | Kirsten Davis |
| Bereket Bekele | Chemical Engineering | Rajamani Gounder |
| Tania Class Martinez | Chemical Engineering | Rajamani Gounder |
| Jordan Cross | Civil Engineering | Brandon Boor and Nusrat Jung |
| Aliya Ehde | Environmental and Ecological Engineering | Caitlin Proctor |
| Emily Garcia | Industrial Engineering | Zachary J. Hass |
| Marina Garcia | Civil Engineering | Mirian Velay-Lizancos |
| Debraliz Isaac-Aragones | Mechanical Engineering | Justin Weibel |
| Eugene Mahmoud | Engineering Education | Joyce Main |
| Samantha Mata Robles | Biomedical Engineering | Jacqueline Linnes |
| Juan Mesa | Biomedical Engineering | Hugh Lee |
| Jesus Meza | Aeronautics and Astronautics | Alina Alexeenko |
| Nimota Nasiru | Engineering Education | Khairiyah Mohd- Yusof |
| Jose Alfredo Ocegueda Barraza | Industrial Engineering | Ramses V. Martinez |
| Jose Rivas | Mechanical Engineering | Andres Arrieta |
| Orlando Rivera Gonzalez | Mechanical Engineering | Xiulin Ruan and Justin Weibel |
| Mikayla Roach | Biomedical Engineering | Deva Chan |
| Raquel Ruiz | Civil Engineering | Julio Ramirez |
| Diamarys Salome Rivera | Chemical Engineering | Rajamani Gounder |
| Alex Santiago Vargas | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Dimitrios Peroulis |
| Angel Santiago-Colon | Chemical Engineering | Rajamani Gounder |
| Paula Sarmiento | Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering | Dianne Little |
| Makena Thompson | Mechanical Engineering | David Warsinger and Davide Ziviani |
