Purdue University made a significant impact at the 2024 GEM National Consortium Annual Conference and Board Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, from September 26-28. The event focused on promoting opportunities for underrepresented individuals in engineering and science.

The GEM Fellowship Program is a powerful collaboration between industry, national laboratories, and universities, designed to broaden participation in STEM fields at the graduate level. This partnership brings together more than 120 universities and 75 major corporations and national laboratories, all dedicated to promoting scientific impact. This program aligns perfectly with Purdue's mission to prepare students for high-level technical careers in industry and academia.

Purdue representatives connected with promising undergraduate students at the Graduate and Career Fair, showcasing the university's commitment to supporting graduate students. The conference provided a platform for Purdue to reconnect with current graduate students from pipeline programs like GradTrack Scholars and meet aspiring faculty members interested in Purdue Trailblazers in Engineering (TBE) Future Faculty Workshop and the Lillian Gilbreth Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Amirr Neal, a Materials Engineering graduate student and GEM fellow, presented his research in the Technical Presentation Competition. Purdue also played a key role in launching EngGAP, a new engineering community group within NAGAP. This initiative aims to create a collaborative network for administrators in engineering graduate education, fostering inter-institutional partnerships that will ultimately benefit graduate students.

Purdue's strong presence at the conference underscores its commitment to broadening participation, excellence in engineering research, and the advancement of not well represented groups in STEM fields. As the university continues to lead in these areas, it reinforces its position as a top institution for engineering and science education.