鈥淲ith upgraded equipment, 91短视频 will provide richer, practical laboratory, research, and project-based experiences to prepare students for lucrative careers in STEM fields and nursing,鈥� states a grant application submitted by Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success for 91短视频.

The grant request also includes a 鈥渟mall salary allocation to support the procurement, calibration, and installation of equipment鈥� and to train faculty and students on its use.

It further states that the upgraded equipment would provide a significant educational opportunity for current students, attract faculty and students to 91短视频, and enhance contributions to STEM and health care fields through research, publication, consultation with local businesses, and a better-prepared workforce in Virginia.

鈥淭his project would amplify the impact of our current NSF STEM scholarship program, which increases postsecondary education access for academically talented, Pell-eligible students,鈥� the request states.

The 鈥�91短视频 grows STEM鈥� project is among a list of community priorities highlighted in the Fiscal Year 2026 federal spending bill, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced in a news release in February.

For a full list of projects in the Shenandoah Valley and Highlands regions of Virginia funded through the FY26 spending bill, .

91短视频 91短视频

91短视频 is a fully accredited university known for its outstanding STEM and health program preparation. Over 90% of job-seeking graduates of 91短视频 find employment quickly, with many in nursing and STEM employed before graduation. 91短视频 is a Forbes Best Return on Investment University and is one of the best colleges in the regional South (U.S. News & World Report). 91短视频 STEM students gain practical and technical skills through project-based experiences and social networks through mentorship from faculty and supportive learning communities. 

鈥淚鈥檝e always been conscious of how much money I鈥檓 spending,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to have tons of debt I鈥檒l have to pay back later, especially at high interest rates.鈥�

And so for Vasquez, who works a part-time job at The Home Depot, financial aid from the Montgomery GI Bill, the Virginia Tuition Grant (VTAG), and a new National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM Scholarship has been a godsend in covering the full cost of his college education.

鈥淲ithout the NSF S-STEM Scholarship, I would鈥檝e struggled financially,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he scholarship really takes the pressure off my shoulders, because now I won鈥檛 have that debt looming over my head.鈥�

Born and raised in Harrisonburg, Vasquez graduated from high school in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and attended Blue Ridge Community College while enlisting in the military. After completing recruit training, taking time to reassess his academic goals, and changing majors from business to computer science, he transferred to 91短视频 last fall.聽

He is among an initial cohort of 91短视频 students receiving the NSF S-STEM Scholarship, which provides:

• Up to $15,000 in unmet financial need annually for the length of the degree
• A paid one-week Bridge to College program
• A STEM mentorship program
• An eight-week paid internship
• Free conference attendance
• Forest restoration opportunities in Park Woods (91短视频鈥檚 on-campus woodland)

The scholarship is open to high-achieving, income-eligible students who are majoring in Biochemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Math, or Psychology (research/STEM track).

Applications for the S-STEM Scholarship
are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

For more information, visit .

鈥楢 welcoming community鈥�

Forming friendships at a new school can have its challenges.

Along with other initiatives provided by the scholarship, a Bridge to College program helps new 91短视频 students adjust to life on campus by moving them in a week early, introducing them to STEM faculty and staff members, and engaging them in activities to build camaraderie and form connections with one another. Students participating in the weeklong program receive a generous stipend for their time.

Ani Koontz, a first-year biology and secondary education double major from Newton, Kansas, is a recipient of the S-STEM Scholarship. She recalled traveling to Shenandoah National Park with students and faculty the week before classes, surveying salamanders and hiking trails, before bicycling around Downtown Harrisonburg on a tour led by city officials.

鈥淭hat first week showed me how friendly and approachable my professors are,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e done a great job creating a welcoming community.鈥�

Another S-STEM Scholarship recipient, Mara Carlson, is a first-year psychology major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 鈥淢any of us have become close friends,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l see the other scholarship recipients around campus and we鈥檒l say hello to each other.鈥�

Through the scholarship, each student is paired with an academic advisor specific to their major, who can answer questions and help guide them forward. Carlson said she meets with Kathryn Howard-Ligas, assistant professor of psychology at 91短视频. 鈥淲e discussed a four-year plan, and I was really grateful for that,鈥� she said. Part of that plan includes gaining invaluable experience through internships and conferences, additional perks of the S-STEM Scholarship.

Carlson said she already knew she wanted to attend 91短视频, and that receiving the S-STEM Scholarship was 鈥渁 nice surprise.鈥�

For the Kansas-born Koontz, 91短视频 had always been on her radar, but she also considered attending in-state schools that normally would鈥檝e been cheaper. When she learned she had been offered the S-STEM Scholarship and that it would lower her college costs to 鈥渁 very affordable amount,鈥� her choice to attend 91短视频 became an easy one.

鈥淚t’s 100% the reason I came,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I got that, it meant I could completely afford to go here, and it honestly made 91短视频 more affordable than any other college in my area. It鈥檚 my joy to share how grateful I am because this is truly just an amazing thing that 91短视频 has.鈥�

This quandary led Abraham Mekonnen, a rising senior at 91短视频 majoring in computer science, along with a team of three students from Queens College in New York City, to develop FootPrint Mayhem, a sustainability-focused platform that encourages and rewards users for minimizing their carbon footprint in creative ways through streaks, games, and points. Users can track their daily carbon footprint, take quizzes to learn eco-friendly habits, earn points and streaks for consistent actions, and compete with friends on a leaderboard. Although the platform is no longer active, it was available at .

鈥淭hink Duolingo, but for saving the planet,鈥� said Mekonnen, who is spending the summer in New York City as a software engineer intern at Morgan Stanley. 鈥淲e asked ourselves, 鈥楬ow can we help people learn while having fun at the same time?鈥欌��

Mekonnen and his team won the 鈥淏est Use of Defang鈥� prize for their creation, besting more than 500 undergraduate students from around the world at . Defang is a tool used to develop, deploy, and debug hackathon projects. The annual 36-hour coding competition was hosted by Harvard University students from Oct. 11-13, 2024, on their campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and brings students together to “collaborate, innovate, and build awesome projects in a short amount of time.” 鈥淲inning never crossed my mind,鈥� Mekonnen said. 鈥淚 was competing against people with vast knowledge from all these great and wonderful schools, so I thought there was no way I could win.鈥�

But win they did. Over an intense 36-hour period, Mekonnen and his team worked tirelessly to develop an idea for a project, design it, and present it to judges. 鈥淚 think we probably only slept for two to four hours during that time,鈥� he said.

鈥淭his recognition from HackHarvard is incredibly motivating,鈥� Mekonnen wrote in a post after the event. 鈥淚t validates our belief that technology can make sustainability accessible and enjoyable for everyone.鈥�

He said the win has already opened new doors for him, helping him land his current internship at Morgan Stanley. 鈥淭he computer science field right now is hectic,鈥� Mekonnen said. 鈥淓ven finding interviews is hard, so this has been a wonderful resume builder.鈥�

He was also invited to present on a panel at the Horizon Conference, held at James Madison University in November, which brings together changemakers, innovators, and leaders passionate about tackling global challenges and fostering inclusive growth.

Mekonnen, who moved to Harrisonburg from Ethiopia at 12 years old, serves as president of the Computer Science Career Club and is a member of the International Students Organization at 91短视频. He credits professors Dr. Daniel Showalter, Dr. Stefano Colafranceschi, and Charles Cooley with providing the foundational programming knowledge that helped him succeed. 

He said he hopes to inspire others at 91短视频 the same way he was inspired by recent alumna Hebron Mekuria 鈥�24, a computer science major who also won a hackathon鈥�Black Wings Hacks in 2023鈥攁nd interned at Morgan Stanley. 

鈥淧eople at 91短视频 might not think they can win and do great things,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope my story encourages other students to push themselves beyond what they thought was possible.鈥�

The next HackHarvard competition will be held from Oct. 3-5, 2025. For more information about the event, visit:

Members of the Class of 2025 Micaiah Landis, Adam Stoltzfus, Laura Benner, Hellena Gebremedhin, Lleyton Stutzman, and Rebecca Tezazu, guided by faculty mentor Stefano Colafranceschi, spent hundreds of hours during the past school year restoring and improving the Spitz A-4 planetarium projector at 91短视频鈥檚 Suter Science Center. The projector, originally installed in 1968 when the science center was built, has spent most of its time in storage since the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium closed in 2007. 

On Tuesday, April 29, the engineering team unveiled the product of their hard work with a planetarium show鈥攖he first in more than 15 years, according to Stutzman鈥攁ttended by about two-dozen guests. Titled 鈥淪tars for a Night in Spring,鈥� the show was adapted from a program first performed by former planetarium director John Horst 鈥�60 and featured synthesizer music he composed. As the lights cut off inside the Discovery Room, the domed ceiling transformed into a sea of stars, while members of the team pointed out constellations and shared the legends behind them.

Guests included past and present STEM faculty, staff, and alumni with ties to the planetarium. Joan Horst 鈥�66, who recalled watching shows there as a student, said she hadn鈥檛 seen one since her late husband, Professor Emeritus John Horst, retired nearly 20 years ago. 鈥淚鈥檓 amazed they were able to convert it from electronic to computer controls,鈥� she said of the restoration project.

For Joe Mast 鈥�64, longtime professor and planetarium director from 1986-2005, watching the stars and galaxies drift across the dome brought back memories of leading Sunday afternoon programs and teaching astronomy classes at 91短视频. 鈥淚t was a very popular class,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had 65 seats in here, and it ran every semester, with rarely more than four or five empty seats.鈥�

A trio of alumni at the show had spent a semester in an engineering design class disassembling the projector to understand how it worked. One of those alumni, Andrew Troyer 鈥�19, said, 鈥淚t was cool to see someone take something you鈥檝e done to the next level like this.鈥�

History of the planetarium

In 1968, the Suter Science Center at 91短视频 was completed, featuring the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium and a then-state-of-the-art Spitz A-4 star projector. At the time, the projector cost about $25,000, equivalent to roughly $230,000 today when adjusted for inflation.

The projector replaced the university鈥檚 Spitz A-1 model, which had been used at the Vesper Heights planetarium atop the 91短视频 Hill since 1946. The original A-1 model is still on display in the Discovery Room. Both planetariums are said to have attracted annual crowds of up to 4,000 visitors, from astronomy students to local residents to nearby grade school students

When John Horst retired in 2007, 91短视频 was left with no prospective astronomers on the faculty to continue the planetarium鈥檚 programming. And, the 40-year-old projector had mechanical problems that would have been costly to fix or replace. As a result, the planetarium closed and the projector was lowered into storage beneath the floor. The space was converted into a classroom for workshops and a display area for large specimens, such as the giant Kodiak brown bear that stood guard above the projector in the center of the room. After renovations to the science center, the projector was brought back out and placed on a pair of tables.

Resurrecting the projector

The six students on the team installed new motors, sensors, and a Raspberry Pi mini-computer to control the movement of the projector. The large panel of switches and dials that once operated the machine has been replaced with a web application that can be accessed wirelessly from any internet-connected device. Enter a location, date, and time into the app, and the projector can simulate the night sky as it would have appeared then and there. 鈥淲e had some friends in here who were checking out the sky at the time they were born,鈥� Benner said.

The students also designed, welded, and built a custom steel-and-wood base to support the projector and allow it to be stowed away when not in use. To darken the room, they sewed heavy-duty blackout curtains to cover the many surrounding windows.

During the restoration, the xenon bulb inside the projector鈥檚 star ball broke, and students scrambled to find a replacement, eventually swapping it out for an LED bulb. In total, the team spent about $2,400 on the project.

Members of the team said their goal for the project was not only to bring the projector back to life but also to make it more accessible and user-friendly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very easy to use,鈥� Stutzman said during a presentation at 91短视频鈥檚 ACE Festival on April 17. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to know anything about astronomy.鈥�

By documenting their work, they said future students will have a clear understanding of the projector鈥檚 inner workings and will be able to perform additional upgrades. For instance, a future engineering capstone project could focus on restoring the planet orrery, which projects five planets, the sun and Earth鈥檚 moon but is currently inoperable.

Professor Daniel King, director of 91短视频鈥檚 engineering program, said he had long kept the idea of revitalizing the planetarium in the back of his mind. When he saw the team of engineering students searching for a project, he proposed they take it on. He said there鈥檚 potential for future planetarium shows, open to community members of all ages. 鈥淚 would love for that to happen,鈥� King said.

Read more about the history of the 91短视频 planetarium below:

That鈥檚 how Laura Benner ’25, an engineering and computer science double major, described cracking the . Joining her on the Kryptos team were her sister Renae Benner and her roommate Mana Acosta ’25, both engineering majors at 91短视频. On April 14, the team of three took first place in a contest featuring 151 students from colleges and universities across 16 states and Australia.聽

Since 2011, Central Washington University (CWU) has hosted this annual online competition for undergraduate students. The contest consists of three challenges that present brief scenarios along with some ciphertext. Contestants work individually or in teams to discover the original English plaintext message.

Students are permitted to use any resources available online to solve the puzzles. But the puzzles require a great deal of effort and critical thinking, far more than ChatGPT, for instance, can do. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really funny,鈥� Laura Benner said. 鈥淚f you give the entire puzzle to ChatGPT, it will spit back some nonsense solution to you.鈥�

Acosta and the two Benner sisters have all participated in the Kryptos challenge before and won first or second place. 

• 2025: First Place Team: Mana Acosta, Laura Benner, Renae Benner
• 2024: Second Place Team: Iris Anderson, Laura Benner, Renae Benner
• 2023: First Place Team: Mana Acosta, Laura Benner, Caleb Hostetler
• 2022: First Place Team: Mana Acosta, Caleb Hostetler, Hannah Leaman

Typically, an 91短视频 team gets together on Thursday night when the competition opens and works until they solve all three challenges. This year, though, the team was able to solve only one challenge on Thursday night. Since CWU does not provide updates on students鈥� progress, they assumed they had lost. But on Monday morning, the last day of the competition, the team received an email saying nobody had solved the three challenges yet. They were shocked and immediately got back together to work on the puzzles again.

鈥淭he fresh start was good,鈥� Acosta said. 鈥淲e should have gotten together on Friday, but we were so sure that other teams had already won.鈥� The three worked quickly and managed to find leads that let them solve the last two puzzles. 91短视频 20 minutes after they submitted their Google form describing how they had solved the last puzzle, CWU sent a confirmation email that the 91短视频 team had won first place.

91短视频 teams have historically performed well in this competition, and by now, they feel some pressure to win. While the 2025 team doesn鈥檛 know how other teams work, contestants at 91短视频 usually dedicate a large block of time to working together. The room is typically silent, with individuals working on their own until someone finds a lead or breakthrough. Then they all talk it over and work together. The most challenging part of the competition is not losing motivation.

The first year Laura Benner joined the team, she didn鈥檛 know much about breaking ciphers and let other members take the lead. But this year she took more agency in solving the puzzles, and for at least two of them, she had 鈥渢hat electric moment鈥� of discovering the plaintext.

While her classes haven鈥檛 directly applied to learning ciphers, she said, 鈥淏oth engineering and cryptanalysis are highly logical. You need to be able to identify patterns and know when the route you鈥檙e going down isn鈥檛 working.鈥� 

The grant, awarded through the NSF鈥檚 , will fund up to $15,000 annually for each scholarship recipient throughout the length of their degree. Overall, the S-STEM Scholarship will fund a quality undergraduate education for 23 91短视频 students among three cohorts over the next six years, beginning with first-year students entering the Fall 2025 semester.

The scholarship is open to academically talented students with financial need who are majoring in the following fields: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Math, and Psychology (research/STEM track).

Applicants for the S-STEM Scholarship must submit their application and reference forms by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. For more information about the program and how to apply, visit: emu.edu/stem/scholarship

In addition to scholarships, the program offers students a paid one-week Bridge to College experience, where they can meet professors, learn material from their discipline, acquire study skills, and become better prepared for college.

91短视频 Biology Professor Dr. Kristopher Schmidt said that some first-year students can struggle to adjust to life on campus, and that the grant aims to ease that adjustment.

鈥淲e want to create a sense of belonging,鈥� said Schmidt, who is principal investigator for the grant program.

The program also provides funding for embedded tutoring services and paid tutoring opportunities for students, specialized advising, and guidance from professional STEM mentors.

鈥淭his would be a person outside the university in their field of interest who can encourage them, help them, and connect with them along their four-year program,鈥� Schmidt said about the mentors. 

The S-STEM Scholarship program offers innovative opportunities for place-based learning and funding for an eight-week paid internship. Students can use grant-funded resources to conduct research on forest restoration in the Park Woods space, which serves as a key learning lab for STEM students.

This latest grant builds on the success of a similar STEM grant that wrapped up in 2023.

By leveraging grants like these, 91短视频 lives into its mission and vision, outlined in its 2023-28 strategic plan Pathways of Promise of opening new pathways of access and achievement, and can help the NSF achieve its goal of diversifying the STEM workforce.

鈥淲e were thrilled to receive this,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited and grateful the NSF has chosen to invest in our students at 91短视频.鈥�

Faculty members Kristopher Schmidt, Jim Yoder, Daniel Showalter, Stefano Colafranceschi and Dean Tara Kishbaugh wrote the S-STEM grant proposal.

Dr. Tamika Jackson, assistant professor of counseling
Jackson is an assistant professor in the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program. Her vocational journey has led to experience in many areas including finance, congregational ministry, program development, chaplaincy, counseling, and higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowie State University, an MBA from Loyola University Maryland, a Master of Divinity/MA in Counseling dual-degree from Wake Forest University, and a PhD in Counselor Education from William and Mary. In addition to training counselors, Jackson embraces the model of practitioner-scholar through her own work as a clinical mental health counselor and her research focusing on the integration of spirituality and religion in counseling. 

Ned Parker, assistant professor of preaching & worship; Seminary chaplain
Parker received his bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College with a focus in archaeology and storytelling as a cross-discipline approach to cultural studies. His Master of Divinity is from Andover Newton Theological School. Parker has a Doctor of Ministry from Seattle University, where his studies focused on storytelling in the contexts of preaching and worship to foster deeper community. He鈥檚 been in higher education for 25 years and pastored two churches. 

John Pescatore, associate professor of engineering
, a native of Boston, holds degrees from Northeastern University, University of Cincinnati and Tennessee Technological University and is a registered professional engineer in Virginia and Ohio. He is an enthusiastic promoter of the engineering profession and is excited about joining other faculty in the mission of educating the next generation of engineers. Pescatore comes to 91短视频 with a background in both professional engineering and academia in the U.S. and United Kingdom.

Stephanie Powell, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible
Powell holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible from Drew University and an MDiv from Chicago Theological Seminary. She is the author of Narrative Desire and the Book of Ruth from Bloomsbury T&T Clark Press (2018). As a feminist and literary critic of the Hebrew Bible, Powell鈥檚 research interests include the interrelationship between biblical narrative and history, with sustained attention to questions of sexuality, desire, trauma and identity formation.

For over a decade, Powell has taught courses in biblical studies, feminism and queer theory, Jewish/Christian studies, pastoral care, death and dying, and world religions. She is also the co-creator of restitutio divina, an embodied practice of biblical interpretation that builds on the insights of Somatic Experiencing coupled with the spiritual practices of lectio and visio divina. In addition to her work as a professor, Powell has worked as a professional chaplain in medical, psychiatric and academic settings.

Aundrea Smiley, assistant professor of teacher education
Smiley is a career educator with over 17 years of experience in the field. She has worked in all levels in the K-12 world, including as classroom teacher, coach, and division-level administrator (literacy coach). Prior to coming to 91短视频 full-time she served as adjunct in the Graduate Teacher Education department for four years.

She has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in marketing/business administration from Ferrum College, a master鈥檚 in teaching from Mary Baldwin University, a graduate certificate in restorative justice in education from 91短视频, and a PhD in higher education administration/education leadership K-12 programs from Liberty University.

Smiley is an education consultant/RJ practitioner as well as the owner of a full-service literacy center/consulting firm. 

鈥淭he trees were a lot smaller when I went there,鈥� said Hertzler, explaining that a had ripped through the small Kansas town shortly before he began his studies there. 鈥淣ow, there鈥檚 all these large trees. But, I guess, 28 years of growth will do that.鈥�

Hertzler, who also graduated from 91短视频 with a degree in biochemistry in 1999, visited Hesston in October with three other 91短视频 engineering students 鈥� Jacob Hess, Benjamin Friesen Guhr and Sean Swartley 鈥� and program director Daniel King as part of a collaboration between the two schools. The partnership was sponsored by the , which provides grants to foster relationships and strengthen ties between Mennonite institutions.

鈥�91短视频 and Hesston College have a long history of collaboration in various areas,鈥� Johann Reimer, engineering program director for Hesston College, said in a from the school. 鈥淚 am so excited that we were able to forge ahead with a totally new engineering-related collaboration that provided real benefits for faculty and students alike.鈥�

Picking a project

The partnership started this spring, when 91短视频 hosted a group of Hesston College engineering students and faculty members. The group from Hesston reviewed two projects that 11 91短视频 students in the Engineering Design II class presented and chose one to improve. They chose to redesign a trivision board the 91短视频 students created.

Trivision boards, often used for , are made from vertical triangular prisms aligned together in a frame. The boards can show up to three ads, with the display depending on which of the prism’s sides are facing the viewer. 

鈥淲e wanted something fun to do that isn鈥檛 super common anymore, but we wanted to add a flair to it,鈥� said Hertzler, a student in the spring semester course. Unlike traditional trivision boards, which use a single gear to rotate all the panels at the same time, students in the class attached a motor to each prism so they could control them individually.  

King said the project was one that students from both engineering schools could equally contribute to.

鈥淗esston鈥檚 program is a mechatronics program 鈥� a combination of mechanical and electronics 鈥� and we have mechanical and computer engineering,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, we came up with a project that had components of both.鈥�

The trivision board could be used to display advertising for events or clubs on campus.

鈥淚t could show artwork,鈥� King said. 鈥淎s our students mentioned, it could also show facts about environmental sustainability.鈥�

91短视频 students in the class answered questions from Hesston College students about their design decisions, and the two groups bounced ideas off each other. In addition to their collaborative work on the project, students from Hesston College toured the Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus, sat in on engineering courses and hiked in the nearby Shenandoah National Park.

Returning the favor

During their fall break in October, the 91短视频 engineering group traveled about 1,200 miles westward to Hesston College in south central Kansas. There, they toured the campus, attended engineering classes and were presented with a redesign of the trivision board.

Hesston students added a motion sensor to the board that could trigger the panels to rotate with a wave. They also changed the type of motor used.

鈥淚t was neat to see them tackle the problem differently,鈥� Hertzler said, 鈥渁nd it was fun engaging with their questions.鈥�

Hess, an 91短视频 senior who transferred from Hesston in 2021, was not part of the class that designed the trivision board in the spring, but used the trip as an opportunity to meet former professors and attend a robotics class. He said the long-distance collaboration helps simulate what it鈥檚 like to work on projects in the workforce. 

鈥淵ou might have a group in one part of the country working on a project with a group in another part of the country, with completely different time zones,鈥� Hess said.

King said the collaboration helped students focus on documenting the design process and communicating it to others. The partnership helped build relationships between faculty at both schools and showed students 鈥渢hat engineering is a bigger world than at just one institution,鈥� he said.

Looking back, he said that one highlight of their trip was seeing the rockets and spacecraft at the Cosmosphere museum in Hutchinson, Kansas.

鈥淭he hiking was also fun,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut we joked that we have better hiking in Shenandoah than out in Kansas.鈥� 

Mekuria and her teammates were among 150 participants competing for 20 prizes in interest groups of two to four women, each working to code a project pertaining to the overall theme of 鈥渟ocial good.鈥� Participants had access to professional mentors who held workshops and helped with problem statements.

Mekuria鈥檚 team coded a website called 鈥溾�� an online platform that connects patients with licensed medical professionals for virtual consultations free of charge. Mekuria got the idea for the platform after seeing people ask medical questions on forum sites like Reddit. She shared the project idea with her team members, who were all interested in medical technology, and they decided Internet Hospital would provide patients with a more secure and verified way to get quick diagnoses鈥攅specially those with limited access to health insurance or medical expertise.

鈥淎lmost half of people in the U.S. do not have good health insurance coverage. Internet Hospital could help to bridge that gap,鈥� said Mekuria, whose hackathon participation resulted in the opportunity to work with women in her field for the first time. 鈥淚t was such an encouraging experience鈥� a feeling of 鈥榦h, we CAN do it.鈥欌��

Daniel Showalter is Mekuria鈥檚 computer science professor and says she sets herself apart both in鈥攁nd out of the classroom. 鈥淗ebron has been diligent in thinking big-picture beyond her classes. She has been known to spend four to five hours a day working on applying for internships, developing her coding, and networking鈥� all outside her normal classwork.鈥�

Grove grew up in Poolesville, Maryland, loving legos and 鈥渂uilding stuff鈥� with his hands. In high school, he excelled in math and the sciences, particularly physics. Both of his parents went to 91短视频, and Grove decided to follow in their footsteps because he liked the Mennonite community and the size of the school, and was 鈥渃urious and interested鈥� in 91短视频鈥檚 brand-new engineering program.

Longenecker also learned about 91短视频 from his parents, who raised him living across the street from the school in Harrisonburg. 鈥淎lways good at math and science,鈥� Longenecker considered pursuing architecture, but was ultimately swayed by 91短视频鈥檚 close-knit community, small size, and new engineering program.

While at 91短视频, Longenecker and Grove participated in the Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) club, collaborating on a stationary bike project that took top honors in an American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) poster design contest in 2017. Grove was a primary designer. The two also served as STEM Student Mentors through 91短视频鈥檚 Academic Success Center, tutoring freshmen students in specific engineering classes.

Apart from their shared experiences, Longenecker worked as part of a team of 10 students to design and build an eco-marathon-bound supermileage car his senior year. 鈥淚t was a lot of fun to dive headfirst into this massive new project that was spearheaded by a number of freshmen,鈥� said Longenecker. Grove built a wind tunnel at 91短视频 for his senior capstone project as an educational tool for the engineering department to teach fluid mechanics principles. 鈥淚t was a fun, collaborative project with help from engineering faculty, STEM students, and Facilities Management,鈥� shared Grove.

The wind tunnel project was sponsored by Ventrac, a tractor company out of Orrville, Ohio, where Grove interned the summer before his senior year and developed an interest in the manufacturing world. After graduation, however, Grove opted to stay local and accepted a job in the construction world as a mechanical engineer at Suter Engineering, a company specializing in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) and plumbing design for commercial buildings in Bridgewater, Virginia. Grove worked on piping, plumbing and duct design that involved doing drawings and field inspections.

After three years, Grove was ready for a change. He called his friend and fellow engineer Longenecker, who had spent the last three years working as a project engineer at Classic Distribution. Longenecker had transitioned from a yearlong internship with Classic Distribution starting the summer of his junior year, where he 鈥渄id mostly technical drawings,鈥� to a full-time position at the company after graduation working on ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementation. In November 2022, Grove became a project engineer at Classic Distribution, where he occasionally works with Longenecker on ERP system projects, but primarily focuses on finding improvements for physical material handling and processing.

Both Longenecker and Grove appreciate their time at 91短视频. Longenecker says the engineering program taught him how to learn quickly, to teach, to work with people, and to schedule and execute a project. Grove says the program taught him how to think and problem-solve, and exposed him to a variety of different areas to draw on for professional success. Both cite the small class sizes with a personal approach to learning as valuable in helping to build relationships with professors and classmates鈥攔elationships they have been able to maintain to this day.

Tara Kishbaugh, chemistry professor and dean of the School of School of Sciences, Engineering, Art and Nursing鈥攁long with math professor Owen Byer, engineering professor Esther Tian and biology professor Jim Yoder鈥攎odeled the program off of one in the engineering program at Ohio State University. The four leveraged personal connections and LinkedIn to find mentors.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a mutually beneficial relationship that gives students a safe space to practice their networking skills, learn to ask good questions and listen well, hear professional perspectives, and develop long-term mentoring relationships,鈥� said Kishbaugh. 鈥淚t also gives mentors the opportunity to impart their skills and knowledge for students鈥� personal and professional growth.鈥�

Luke Wheeler is a mechanical engineering major from Hudson, Michigan, whose mentor is Ashley Driver, president and owner of AD Engineering LLC based out of Timberville, Virginia. Wheeler is working part-time for Kawneer in Harrisonburg while finishing up his classes and will begin as an associate process engineer with Merck in Elton, Virginia, after graduation. Wheeler says it has been nice to have a resource to reach out to for advice and that he sees the STEM Mentorship Program as a gateway for internships and jobs for students in the years to come.

Ethan Spicher is a mechanical engineering major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose mentor is Gil Colman, civil engineer, owner and principal at Colman Engineering, PLC in Harrisonburg. Spicher says he and Colman have talked at length about his resume, engineering projects, and what it鈥檚 like to own a firm. Upon graduating, Spicher will work for JZ Engineering, a structural engineering company based in Harrisonburg.

Ben Bontrager-Singer is a mechanical engineering major from Goshen, Indiana, whose mentor is Kevin Nufer, an aerospace structural engineer at Leidos in Manassas, Virginia. Bontrager-Singer says Nufer looked at this resume and helped him to prepare for his job interview with Seattle-based Blue Origin, where Bontrager-Singer landed a job as a propulsion engineer starting after graduation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 valuable to provide connections between students and the workforce and also a good opportunity for engineers to see what education looks like these days,鈥� said Bontrager-Singer.

Interested in participating as an 91短视频 student or community-based mentor in the STEM Mentorship Program? Email Tara Kishbaugh at tara.kishbaugh@emu.edu.

Read more about Bontrager-Singer’s internship at Tesla and all three seniors’ work with Engineers in Action.

Ten 91短视频 students are gaining professional experience this fall at the Washington Community Scholars鈥� Center (WCSC). They represent nine different majors, showing the range of placement possibilities available through the program. The diversity includes four computer science majors (with two also double majoring in math), two history and social science majors, one social work major, one liberal arts major, one digital media major, and one peacebuilding and development major.

The center, located in the nation鈥檚 capital since 1976, is a program of 91短视频.

The semester-long experience is also a community-building endeavor, with students living together in the Nelson Good House in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington, DC. This semester鈥檚 placements include several organizations that are long-time hosts of 91短视频 students, highlighting WCSC鈥檚 deep ties within the region. Many alumni can trace their careers back to a pivotal experience at WCSC. 

Read more about WCSC success! Nursing major Ashlyn Eby talks about personal growth and learning from her internship. Grads Tessa Waidelich and Terry Jones find full-time work after their internships.

Read on to learn more about the students, their placements and the organizations they are involved with. 

Zyeasha Ba, a peace and development major from Stafford, Virginia, is with the peace education program . She helps to lead discussions about conflict resolution with elementary school age children and men experiencing homelessness.

Seth Andreas, a math and computer science major from Bluffton, Ohio, is doing a variety of tasks at , from scripting to 3D modeling, in the realm of virtual reality game development.

KC Argueta-Rivas, a social work major from Springfield, Virginia, works with case managers at providing legal services and social services to clients.

Cor鈥橲hauna Cunningham, a liberal arts major and psychology minor from Brooklyn, New York, is with , an addiction treatment center.

Mykenzie Davis, a digital media and communications major from Lititz, Pennsylvania, is with , where she is filming and editing videos for clients and enhancing her portfolio for post-graduation job search.

Natalia Hernandez, a computer science major from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is with , where she is implementing malware detection software. She was recently offered a position as a service desk engineer at the same organization.

Anya Kauffman, a history and social science major from Goshen, Indiana, is interning at the criminal defense law firm, . 鈥淚 help two legal assistants with tasks including requesting accident reports from the police department, scheduling hearings at the DMV, checking for court dates or case numbers. I think the most significant learning experience will be working in a fast-paced law firm, understanding the ins and outs of a criminal defense firm, and learning the process of a criminal legal case.鈥�

Tace Martin, a history and social science major from Eugene, Oregon, is with . The site was one of the first public schools for African American children in the United States, and currently houses a museum, a research room, art exhibits, and the archives of the District of Columbia Public Schools. He is documenting and rehousing collections related to the school itself, as well as 鈥減ulling collections for upcoming scholarly visits.鈥� Martin is also contributing to the site鈥檚 draft application to be listed on the National Park Service Register of Historic Places.

Joey Sun, a computer science major from Shenyang, China, is with the . His role consists of providing technical support to all Smithsonian employees regarding verification issues, technology assistance, and moderating access to special documents. He is learning to navigate the user interface and software the OCIO uses to support the entire Smithsonian network.

Noah Swartzentruber, a math and computer science major from Lancaster, Pa., is working on projects for the Smithsonian National Zoo’s website and collaborating on a web-based tool for zookeeping staff.

Summer 2022 placements included:

• A physical therapy practice
• Mennonite Central Committee’s National Justice and Peace Ministries office 
• Community of Hope, a community health clinic that provides quality healthcare and housing to families 
• Covenant House, an organization that provides educational programs, job training and placement, medical services, mental health and substance use counseling, legal aid and beyond to homeless youth
• St. Anthony Catholic School, gaining experience working with children and observing different teaching styles
• Washington Digital Media, making business cards and several other templates.
• Bread for the City鈥檚 primary care clinic in a Spanish-language setting
• Anacostia Watershed Society with their adult education classes, tree surveying, invasive species removal, wetland planting, and boat tours on the Anacostia River
• Keegan Theater
• Girls on the Run DC
• Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, which fosters just and equitable community development solutions that address the needs and aspirations of low- and moderate-income district residents.

Jamie Reich, WCSC鈥檚 associate director of communications and retention, contributed to this article.

Seven 91短视频 engineering students put their brains and muscles to work this summer with , contributing to bridge building projects that increased access and safety for rural communities in West Virginia and Bolivia.

Ethan Spicher participated in an EIA project in West Virginia as part of a summer internship with JZ Engineering, a structural engineering company based in Harrisonburg. He spent two weeks with students from Duke University and Georgia Tech working on a 16-foot vehicular bridge.

Students Mana Acosta and Luke Wheeler were also on site in Jatun Pampa, Bolivia, for six weeks working with Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Delaware students on a 113-meter-long span serving 300 rural residents. Several other students, including Laura Benner, See Hla, Caleb Oesch, and Ben Bontrager-Singer, comprised 91短视频鈥檚 Bridge Team and contributed to the year-long planning process and fundraising. 

Engineers in Action is a nonprofit organization with a mission to 鈥渟upport development of sustainable systems and infrastructure with underserved communities, local expertise, and global partners.鈥� 

91短视频鈥檚 students work with EIA staff and peers on the projects. Teams are located at more than 35 universities across the country and the world. EIA has built more than 100 footbridges in 12 countries, helping connect 鈥渘early 150,000 previously isolated people to essential resources.鈥�

鈥淪uch collaborative projects are unique opportunities to apply principles of engineering and science learned in the classroom, with strong components of teamwork, project management, communication skills, and intercultural competence,鈥� said Professor Esther Tian, director of 91短视频鈥檚 engineering program. 

鈥淭he Engineers in Action organization meshes perfectly with our goals to graduate engineers with a global mindset who want to serve with their skills and be leaders for positive change,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tudents on our Bridge Team are engaging actively with our commitments to sustainability, peacebuilding and social justice. It鈥檚 a win for everyone.鈥�  

READ MORE: 91短视频 Engineering is globally accredited.

Acosta affirms that as well: 鈥淚 learned how to apply engineering and design principles to a very real-life project. I also learned how to live with a team full-time and manage team dynamics. But probably the most meaningful part of the experience was learning to live in a community so different from my community back home. Jatun Pampa grew to have a special place in my heart.鈥�

For someone who just a year ago was having difficulty imagining herself as an engineer in the field, Acosta’s time in Bolivia helped her see a future in her chosen field after graduation. 

Spicher said his internship exposed him to 鈥渆verything from AutoCAD to stress and strain calculations on bridges and other structures 鈥� [it was] an opportunity that opened my eyes to the world of structural engineering and provided me with lots of real, valuable, and applicable experience.鈥�

He enjoyed spending time with and learning from his co-workers at the firm, their clients, and the build team in West Virginia.

While Spicher is not sure yet of his specific path, like Acosta, he鈥檚 excited by the possibilities and the prospects. 

The Bridge Team is currently studying bridge design and preparing to help build a bridge in West Virginia next summer.