Georgia Tech’s LSAMP students are some of the best you’ll meet.

Participants in the program, short for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, are completing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). LSAMP aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority students completing STEM degrees and entering graduate school.
 
This fall, some of Tech’s 35 LSAMP students won major awards at local and national conferences for their research.

In September, four students traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Ana G. Mendez University System research conference. Silvia Vaca, a biomedical engineering (BME) student, and Michael Kuku, a civil engineering major, received medals and money for their projects. Vaca’s work concerned subretinal electrical stimulation in rats; Kuku examined proximity-sensing technology used in construction.

Earlier in October, 25 students attended the Peach State LSAMP Regional Research Conference at the University of Georgia in Athens. Five students presented their research there, and Johnny Worthy, an aerospace engineering student, won second place in the Engineering and Technology category for his presentation. Meanwhile, BME student Shuntol Holloway presented her research at the Biomedical Engineering Society's Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

Also at that meeting, Divad Miles and Nader Abdullahi, both BME students, were recognized as 2012 BMES College Scholars at the annual Celebration of Minorities in BME luncheon, hosted by the Biomedical Engineering Society. They heard a keynote talk by Dr. Andres Garcia, a faculty member in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and networked with professionals in their field. LSAMP students will also present at the National Society of Black Engineers Conference next spring.

The LSAMP program is housed in the College of Engineering's Education Outreach Office. Tech’s chapter of LSAMP funds 35 undergraduates, who meet for professional development workshops, receive peer mentoring, and do research. The LSAMP program accepts new applicants at the beginning of each semester. For information about eligibility requirements or upcoming workshops, please visit the Georgia Tech LSAMP chapter's website.