Angeles found her way to Notre Dame through a , an experience that she credits as further refining her passion for human-centered structural engineering. Awarded a , and later winning a highly competitive , Angeles notes that with the urging of Nyrée McDonald, associate dean of graduate enrollment management, she applied for and gained access to one of the most transformative elements of her graduate training experience, the GEM Consortium.��

Funded by partnerships with nearly 200 member institutions including top research universities, national labs and research-intensive corporations, the , a nonprofit founded at the University of Notre Dame in 1976, is the premier organization that supports, through fellowships, highly qualified students from underrepresented communities who are pursuing graduate degrees in applied science and engineering.��

The GEM consortium has “built a legacy of scientific impact and reinforced a narrative of Black and Brown excellence in STEM,” in the words of Brannon Marcano, the organization’s CEO. As he envisions the future of GEM, it is essential that the consortium continue to “play a major role in not only establishing true diversity in STEM, but also fostering creativity, innovation and, ultimately, scientific impact.”

McDonald cites GEM as a key partner and source of inspiration for Notre Dame to achieve its goals in recruiting and sustaining top graduate students from groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She notes that “each undergraduate student I speak to about applying to graduate school and each student who I mentor as they navigate their master’s or doctoral program understand that earning an advanced degree is critical for those aspiring to positions of influence in academia, industry or government. With partners across the GEM Consortium, I have tremendous confidence that Notre Dame is highly engaged in critical efforts to help the most promising students achieve their full potential.”��

Angeles, who is mentored by in the , draws direct links between her research and its broader impacts in supporting a more resilient, sustainable future. “The interdisciplinary nature of my projects throughout my doctoral studies has helped me devise a unique skill set that enables me to navigate and integrate the worlds of hazard risk assessment and mitigation, data science and sustainable building design. These projects push disciplinary boundaries and reinforce my ability to use data for the benefit of society.” Such work exemplifies the Graduate 91��Ƶ’s foundational commitment to students conducting .��

Emphasizing the value of the GEM Consortium network as part of her graduate experience at Notre Dame, Angeles notes that for first-generation scholars like herself, “the organization cultivates a professional community for a diverse group of individuals who are committed to driving excellence and representation both in their chosen disciplines and in the broader impacts of their work.”

Originally published by The Graduate 91��Ƶ at on Jan.��24.

��at the University of Notre Dame announced that Esther Takeuchi, distinguished professor of chemistry and material science and engineering at Stony Brook University, will address graduates at the Graduate 91��Ƶ’s annual , which takes place at 10 a.m. May 18 (Saturday)��in the Compton Family Ice Arena.

One of the world’s leading energy researchers, Takeuchi is a member of both the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering��and earned the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009.��She is best known for her research on the lithium/SVO battery system used to power cardiac defibrillators, devices implanted in more than 300,000 people with ventricular arrhythmias annually. A chief scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Takeuchi holds more than 150 patents��and received her degrees from Ohio State University and the University of Pennsylvania.

"Takeuchi has had an immeasurable influence with her research on defibrillator batteries.��It is work that is not only theoretically important, but also fundamentally impactful, restoring some normalcy to so many lives including, actually, my father. She embodies the idea that Your Research Matters, a foundational tenet of the Graduate 91��Ƶ at Notre Dame, and she is a tremendous role model for all of us.��I look forward to her sharing her wisdom and insights with our graduates,” said Laura Carlson, dean of the Graduate 91��Ƶ at the University of Notre Dame.

During the ceremony, the University will confer 241 doctoral degrees and 590 master’s degrees, and present the following to faculty and staff devoted to graduate training:

Lauren M. Papp is the winner of the Distinguished Alumna Award. The Vaughan Bascom Professor in Women, Family��and Community in the 91��Ƶ of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Papp also serves as associate dean for research. A doctoral graduate of Notre Dame’s Department of Psychology, Papp is recognized for her innovative research on how intimate and family relationships shape a person’s development across the lifespan; her extraordinary commitment to student welfare demonstrated in both teaching and service; and her role as a leader in her field and at her institution.

��is the winner of the Dick and Peggy Notebaert Award. An associate professor of English who currently serves as associate provost and chief academic digital officer, Visconsi has long been committed to graduate education��as a dissertation adviser, graduate instructor and co-founder of the “Global Dome,”��a doctoral accelerator program.��He is recognized with this award for his pioneering work in conceiving and overseeing the successful implementation of the online master of science degree in data science, which serves as a model for Notre Dame to emulate across disciplines and domains. Distinctive features include classes that are fully online but include in-person immersions that build the cohort; an integration of students from diverse backgrounds; a robust ongoing collaboration with AT&T; and the development of multimedia assets to support online teaching that are used for other campus courses and digital initiatives.

��is the winner of the Director of Graduate 91��Ƶ Award. An associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, Smith-Oka is a cultural and medical anthropologist who specializes in��the effect of institutions (medical, economic, development) on the behavior and choices of marginalized populations. Smith-Oka is recognized for her pivotal work supporting the early cohorts of students in the new anthropology doctoral program, which will produce its first graduates this year. She is honored for her supportive efforts to open pathways for their careers that balance a commitment to their academic training with a commitment to their well-being.

is the winner of the James A. Burns, C.S.C., Award. The Richard G. Starmann Sr. Research Professor of Peace 91��Ƶ in the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, Wallensteen is recognized for his defining role in the foundational doctoral seminar on international peace research, in which he has taught every doctoral student in the program since its inception in 2008. The application of his formidable perspective as a researcher and his direct experience in peacebuilding make this course a transformational capstone experience. Wallensteen also holds an appointment as a senior professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Sweden’s Uppsala University.��

Mariette Quinn is the winner of the Graduate Administrative Staff Member Award. The administrative assistant for graduate studies in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Quinn has initiated process improvements that have benefited applicants, admitted students��and faculty alike. By sharing her innovations and working with graduate coordinators in other master’s and doctoral programs, she has facilitated the broad-scale adoption of best practices and technology, as well as fostered community among graduate staff across the colleges and schools.

In addition, the ceremony will recognize the recipients of the , which honor top graduating doctoral students in the divisions of engineering, humanities, social sciences��and science.

from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is the recipient of the Shaheen Award in Engineering.��Mehta is an outstanding researcher who focuses on the computational design of multifunctional catalytic systems��for sustainable energy applications.��He is recognized for his creative theoretical models that rationalize��complex phenomena observed in catalysis��experiments and guide the discovery of improved catalyst materials.��Following graduation, Mehta will assume a prestigious research position in the Catalyst and Process Technology division at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering.

from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is the recipient of the Shaheen Award in the Humanities.��A celebrated poet and a scholar in the fields of Latin American literatures and cultural studies, Bravo is recognized for his singular contribution in unearthing and examining the literary case of the Uruguayan poet, artist��and activist Ibero Gutiérrez. Distinguished in his program as a curious and engaged intellectual presence, Bravo is a scholar and professor at Universidad de Montevideo and the Instituto de Profesores Artigas Montevideo in Uruguay.

Marshall Allen Taylor from the Department of Sociology��is the recipient of the Shaheen Award in the Social Sciences.��An original and productive scholar of sociology whose dissertation focuses on nationalist movements in the United States, Taylor is already recognized as an expert in complex methods including computational text analysis and cognitive social science. A popular instructor of statistics courses who stands out for his willingness to collaborate, Taylor is working at the leading edge of emerging research concerns in the social sciences. He begins as an assistant professor of sociology at New Mexico State University in fall 2019.

Amanda Nicole Marra from the Department of Biological Sciences is the recipient of the Shaheen Award in Science. A biologist whose research explores the regulation of the developmental pathways responsible for the coordination of organ formation during embryogenesis, Marra is recognized for her research contributions, stellar publication record and leadership. Marra is now a postdoctoral scholar in cell and developmental biology at the University of California, San Diego.

Originally published by The Graduate 91��Ƶ at on May 1.