EMPOWER participants attended the NRT Annual Meeting at the University of Maryland, College Park, in early May. The meeting brought together representatives from each of the first cohorts of the 18 NSF-funded NRT programs that are aimed at developing innovative graduate training programs. During the two-day event, EMPOWER members collaborated with other NRT program participants to share ideas, consider innovative practices to improve graduate education, and discuss strategies for long-term success.

The meeting culminated with the Future STEM Leaders Workshop, which was held in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. National experts from academia, government, and industry discussed the future of graduate STEM training with the participants in the NRT programs. The EMPOWER team showcased its program in the lunchtime poster session and external advisor, Aisha Morris, from UNAVCO, participated in a panel focused on innovations in STEM graduate education.

Syracuse University was well represented  at the event with EMPOWER graduate students Sara Alesi (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Emily Baker (Earth Sciences), Kyle Blaha (Chemistry), Megan Daley (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Caitlin Eger (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Kristy Gutchess (Earth Sciences), and Alex Johnson (Civil and Environmental Engineering) participating. Additionally, Laura Lautz, NRT principal investigator, and Deanna McCay, EMPOWER program manager, attended the event.