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NIST-MSU STEM Symposium

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Symposium is a virtual forum to strengthen ties between NIST and Morgan State University (MSU) through the NIST Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). 

PREP provides valuable work experience and financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty. The program is intended to assure continued growth and progress of science and engineering in the United States. The objective of this forum is to contribute to a diverse and inclusive STEM workforce across NIST by attracting people associated with MSU to participate in PREP. 

This symposium will introduce NIST, PREP projects, and PREP participants to MSU faculty and students. There will be a follow on session in the future which will help NIST researchers better understand research at MSU and begin discussions on how NIST and MSU might collaborate further. 

Video Recordings

Day 1: March 24, 2022 

Start time 

Topic 

Speaker 

Duration 

9:00 am 

Welcome 

Willie May, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Morgan State University 

2 minutes 

Sesha Moon, Director, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, NIST 

2 minutes 

9:05 

What is NIST? 

Jim Olthoff
Performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director, NIST

10 minutes 

9:15  

What is PREP? 
What are the benefits of participating? 

Brandi Toliver, Senior Academic Program Manager, International and Academic Affairs Office, NIST 

10 minutes 

9:25 

The PREP experience: Three stories 

Moderated panel 

Moderator: Samantha Maragh, Leader of the Genome Editing Program, NIST 
 
Recent PREP students:  
Jose Dixon  
Otily Toutsop 

Frank Choukouali 

(5 minutes presentation + 30 minutes questions from moderator/audience = 45 minutes) 

10:10 

Break 

 

15 minutes 

10:25 

Open opportunities -Concurrent sessions I  

NIST PIs present PREP opportunities and engage in discussion 

 

Information technology Data science 

90 minutes 

Session Ia 

Rick Ayers, Computer Forensics Reference Dataset Project (CFReDS)  
Ben Long, Model-Driven Generation of On-Demand, Architecturally-Targeted Analysis Systems   
Ben Long, Semantic image segmentation using transfer learning  
Timothy Blattner, Hedgehog Benchmarks 

Session Ib 

Aaron Forster, Materials Data to Innovate Impact Protection  
Gretchen Greene, Bioinformatics to Facilitate Laboratory Information Management System  
Frank Delaglio, Database and Analytics for NMR Spectra of Biotherapeutics    
Frank Delaglio, Acquisition of Training Data for Resolution Upscaling of Benchtop NMR Spectra  
Thomas Gerrits, Optical Quantum Metrology 

11:55 

Lunch 

 

60 minutes 

12:55 pm 

Open opportunities -Concurrent sessions II 

NIST PIs present PREP opportunities and engage in discussion 

Engineering 
Materials science Health science 

60 minutes 

Session IIa 

Lisa Ng, Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation Building Simulation Research  
Li-Piin Sung, Accelerated weathering plastic materials with the NIST SPHERE  
Xiaohong Gu, Degradation Mechanism and Failure Analysis of Polymeric Materials used in Photovoltaic Systems 

Session IIb 

Zachary Trautt, Multiple Positions Supporting Sustainable Materials Research  
Rachel Cook, Carbon Sequestration in Building Materials 
Ashley Beasley Green, Profile of Albumin Sub-Proteome in Human Urine Material 

1:55 

Conclusion:  

  • How to learn more 
  • How to find a PREP position 
  • Whom to contact 

Kara Robinson, Academic Program Manager, International and Academic Affairs Office, NIST 

15 minutes 

 

Note: Day 2 when scheduled will not be shared publicly.

Created March 21, 2022, Updated April 8, 2022