Purdue Engineering Academic Career Club Celebrates Fifth Year of Mentoring Circles
The journey from student to faculty member is not always clear, but the Purdue Engineering Academic Career Club (EACC) aims to bridge that gap with its Summer Mentoring Circle Program. Now in its fifth year, the program has helped Engineering graduate students and postdocs navigate the path to academic careers.
EACC, a student-driven organization at Purdue University, focuses on building a community for those passionate about academic careers. The Summer Mentoring Circle Program, one of its flagship initiatives, pairs faculty mentors with small groups of graduate students and postdocs. Over eight sessions each summer, mentors share their experiences while mentees set goals and work towards their academic ambitions.
Notably, several former Purdue Engineering graduate student and postdoctoral mentees who have since become faculty at other institutions have returned to the program as mentors, continuing the cycle of support and guidance.
Inspired by similar initiatives like the Boston Chapter of the Association for Women in Science, the program is unique in its focus on preparing participants for faculty roles. EACC has fine-tuned the program to offer tailored discussions and assignments that support mentees’ progress.
Applications for the 2025 program will open in the spring. Faculty interested in mentoring can email Jackie McDermott, Ph.D. (jem@purdue.edu) to get involved.
Faculty members who participated in the 2024 EACC Summer Mentoring Circle Program (* indicates Purdue Engineering alumni):
| Faculty mentor | School | University |
|---|---|---|
| Neelakshi Majumdar* | Aeronautics and Astronautics | University of Arkansas |
| Karen Marais | Aeronautics and Astronautics | Purdue University |
| Nicoletta Fala* | Aeronautics and Astronautics, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering | Oklahoma State University, Auburn University |
| Yaguang Zhang | Agricultural and Biological Engineering | Purdue University |
| Leo Green | Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering | Purdue University |
| Charles F. Babbs | Biomedical Engineering | Purdue University |
| Adrian Buganza Tepole | Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering | Purdue University |
| Jessica Eisma* | Civil Engineering | The University of Texas at Arlington |
| Takahiro Yabe* | Civil Engineering | New York University |
| Mustafa Abdallah* | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Murat Kocaoglu | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Purdue University |
| Michael Loui | Engineering Education | Purdue University, Emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Moses Olayemi* | Engineering Education | The University of Oklahoma |
| Nik Chawla | Materials Engineering | Purdue University |
| Babak Anasori | Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering | Purdue University |
| Daniel Guildenbecher | Mechanical Engineering | Purdue University |
