Academy of Courageous Minority Engineers

ACME provides a safe forum to strategically approach the challenges faced by graduate

students, in order to facilitate graduate student development

Challenges for Graduate Students

• The job!! It’s challenging. But there are also...

• Institutional dynamics

• Physical resources

• Intellectual assumptions

Join a graduate student support group

-Robert Peters “Getting What You Came For”

Pg. 138

ACME Framework

• Commonality component

• Scholarly community

• Accountability mechanisms

• Interdisciplinary

• Organic and distributed

ACME results• Adds depth to the graduate learning experience•

• Places the student in the context of a reflective practitioner

• Provides intellectual environment for presenting new ideas and setting goals

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• Broad range of perspectives on research and process - understanding the graduate student individual process as a developing scholar

Implementationof ACME Framework

ACME Activities

• Weekly accountability day (changes every semester using doodle surveys)

• ACME lecture series and practice talks

• Writing and study rooms – e.g. AHANA lounge

• Thesis boot-camps/retreats

ACME Online System

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Goals Page

Comments Page

ACME Email

Soon to come …

ACME facebook application:goal-setting

Success StoriesAsegun Henry, Ph.D. Mech. E 2009Mark Hampton, Ph.D. EECS 2008Lincoln Chandler, Ph.D. OR 2008James McLurkin, Ph.D. EECS 2008Tyrone Hill, Ph.D. EECS 2008Ishara Mills, Ph.D. Biology 2007Fritz Pierre, Ph.D. Mech. E 2007Eric Wade, Ph.D. Mech. E 2007Melva James, S.M. Chemistry 2007Sean Bradshaw, Ph.D. EECS 2006Robbin Chapman, Ph.D. EECS 2006Anthony Okobi, Ph.D. HST 2006Tamara Rosbury Ph.D. EECS 2006Lincoln Chandler, S.M. OR 2005Ayanna Samuels, S.M Aero/TPP 2005Shaundra Daily, S.M. MAS 2005Todd Coleman, Ph.D. EECS 2005Amon Millner, S.M. MAS 2005Nicole Love, Ph.D. EECS 2004Tyrone Hill, S.M. EECS 2004Aisha Walcott, S.M. EECS 2004Alicia Boozer, S.M. EECS 2003

Start Your Own ACME

• Start an accountability group

• Meet regularly

• Shared Commonality

• Recommended group size (4 to 8)

Conclusion

• Optimal group size promotes crucial interactions

• Complementary online and face-to-face interaction critical to robustness and sustainability

Conclusion• ACME Promotes critical reflection

on graduate student process

• Exposure to diverse range of scholarly perspectives

• Thoughtful setting and achievement of goals

• Strongly connected pool of scholars