Twenty-one Trinity students traveled to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a science networking workshop last month as part of a trip organized by Director of Career Services Lanna Hagge and the career services office. 

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Academic Support Network links professionals with underrepresented students at the high school, college, and graduate school levels to inspire and encourage them toward a successful and rewarding career in science, technology, mathematics, or engineering, says the New England Board of Higher Education, the program’s sponsor.

Each Trinity student at the workshop was matched with a professional mentor based on the student’s career interests. Students who participated in the networking workshop will be able to correspond with their professional mentors well after the workshop.

“I was very pleased that we had so many first- and second-year students,” says Hagge. “This is exactly what we at Trinity want to accomplish in giving students early exposure to the professional world.” 

Students at the networking event met with their assigned adviser from their field of interest and a small field-of-study peer group. They also attended sessions led by scientists, faculty, and industry researchers and graduate students. 

An internship fair was another valuable component of the day’s events.

Two Trinity faculty members, Harry Blaise, assistant professor of engineering and a former program participant himself, and David Cruz-Uribe, associate professor of mathematics, served as advisers in the program.