Meet our GradTrack Administrators

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Lexy Arinze

Job Title: Graduate Assistant
Graduate Degree and Field: MSc. Civil Engineering
Previous academic institutions: BSc. Civil Engineering, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: Make good connections, you cannot do it alone.
What I love about GradTrack: I love the sense of community GradTrack builds and how it connects undergraduate students with common interest in graduate school from across the country. Mentorship is something I love and GradTrack provides a robust platform that supports it.

Janet Beagle, Ph.D.

Job Title: Senior Director of Graduate Programs, College of Engineering
Graduate Degree and Field: M.S. Animal Science; Ph.D. Education
Previous academic institutions: B.S. Delaware Valley College (now University); M.S. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Ph.D. Purdue University
Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: Go to office hours. It’s a great way for your professors to get to know you. And you don’t have to be taking their class to set an appointment and talk to someone about research or your grad school experience in general. I had a professor tell me once, “I wish more students came and asked questions like you do.” Also, it’s okay to be confused. That means you are being intellectually stretched! But seek out people, articles, and other resources that can help you get un-confused.
What I love about GradTrack: Opportunity! I went to a very small school for my undergrad and had never met a graduate student until I became one. I had no clue what I was doing (hence I went to a lot of office hours, see above!) The ability to connect with graduate students, administrators, and faculty through GradTrack to learn what graduate school is really like, how to prepare, and how to apply is huge. This is the start of a network that could last a lifetime.

Tamara Kinzer-Ursem

Job Title: Marta E. Gross Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs
Graduate Degree and Field: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
Previous academic institutions: : University of Toledo (B.S. in Bioengineering), University of Michigan (M.S and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering), California Institute of Technology (Postdoctoral Scholar in Biology and Bioengineering and Visiting Scientist in Chemical Engineering)
Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: Finding a research advisor is more than just finding a match in research interest. Your advisor will be the strongest advocate for you future career development and your lab mates will become life-long peers. Make sure that your learning and working style meshes well with that of the advisor and lab members and the lab culture is positive and supportive of your professional and personal development.
What I love about GradTrack: I love the positive community that GradTrack cultivates. Both undergraduate participants and graduate mentors have a lot to gain from the experience. The goal is to set everyone up for success. The GradTrack team has put together a fantastic set of programing that enables just that.

Jackie McDermott, Ph.D.

Job Title: Associate Director of Graduate Diversity & Inclusion
Graduate Degree and Field: M.S. and Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology
Previous academic institutions: My graduate degrees are from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. I earned my B.S. in Biology (minors in Biochemistry & Spanish) Hofstra University in New York.
Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: Graduate school is a series of small successes and failures (in your classes, research, grants/awards and everyday life). It is important to be humble and to learn how to both succeed and fail gracefully. More tips can be found at www.gradschoolthriving.com.
What I love about GradTrack: I love that GradTrack helps undergraduate and graduate students connect across the country. As someone who does not have any parents with Graduate Degrees, I relied heavily on guidance from Professors and peers on how to navigate applying to Graduate School. It is not easy. I like that GradTrack breaks down these barriers and provides transparency for current undergraduate students who are looking to pursue their graduate studies.

Dana Weinstein, Ph.D.

Job Title: Former Associate Dean for Graduate Education, College of Engineering; Professor, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Senior Research Fellow, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy; Women in Engineering Chair; IEEE Society for Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control; General Co-Chair, IEEE MEMS 2024; Eema (Hebrew for “mom”), Sophia (age 8) and Tess (age 6)
Graduate Degree and Field: Ph.D. in Applied Physics
Previous academic institutions: B.A. Physics, Astrophysics, UC Berkeley; Ph.D., Applied Physics, Cornell University; Assistant/Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Associate/Full Professor, Purdue University
Best piece of advice given/received for graduate school: With regard to graduate research: pick your advisor well. Make sure their advising style meshes well with your learning/working style. Make sure they foster a positive culture in their lab and have your best interests (career and well being) at heart. Once you’ve found that, dive in and embrace the challenges of discovering and inventing new things!
What I love about GradTrack: I love the community and networking that GradTrack offers to both undergraduate participants and graduate mentors. This, coupled with the plethora of insights and preparation, really sets everyone up for success.