SEAS graduate students form second cohort of JEDI Future Leader Fellows

By Elizabeth Egan 

SEAS students Jermaine Ewers and Adele Lopez were awarded these prestigious fellowships and have been serving as leaders in the SEAS JEDI program in addition to their regular studies.

The JEDI Future Leaders program, provides students with the opportunity to design and develop a project that will help to support the JEDI mission within SEAS, assist with the daily operations of JEDI and work on an academic research project with faculty.

“This program is one of a kind,” said Kristen R. Moore, SEAS associate dean for equity and inclusion. “In part because it focuses on graduate students who have great leadership and scholarly potential and elevates them to leadership positions very early in their careers.”

The fellowship program, designed by Letitia Thomas, SEAS director of broader impacts and workforce development, and Chris Connor, now the University at Buffalo’s vice provost for enrollment management, aims to provide leadership experience and professional development opportunities to graduate students who are interested in pursuing their PhD and whose research and professional objectives align with JEDI objectives. Ewers and Lopez, both pursuing master’s degrees in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, were selected after a formal interview process with Moore, who now leads the program, and additional SEAS faculty members.

During the first year of their master’s programs, Ewers and Lopez will establish research agendas with support from faculty in their areas of study while working on JEDI initiatives.

“What’s amazing is that we’re already benefiting from Adele and Jermaine’s leadership,” said Moore, “In addition to mentoring and outreach, Adele is working on proposing policy and procedure changes that support equity for students. Jermaine is working to create inclusive TA training for new TAs in SEAS. They’re both remarkable and evidence that when we entrust students with leadership, they will empower other students, faculty, and staff.”  

Ewers was recruited to UB’s track and field team out of high school and was drawn to the university’s strong engineering program. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in May and is now pursuing his master’s degree in industrial engineering with a focus on data analytics.

Ewers started out as a mechanical engineering major, but after taking a computations class during his first year at UB, he realized that he had a passion to solve complex problems with computers and switched his major to computer engineering.

After finishing his bachelor’s degree in three years, Ewers decided to remain at UB, noting that he appreciated UB’s way of encouraging undergraduates to continue their graduate studies.

This year, Ewers will be helping to plan and implement inclusive pedagogy workshops for teaching assistants across SEAS. He will also support JEDI efforts, such as facilitating mentoring sessions for students and working with student groups. Through the fellowship, Ewers said he hopes to make an impact on JEDI at UB.

“I hope to also make the lives of students within the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, or at UB overall, easier and to help UB to become a more prominent voice in the world of JEDI for all students and faculty,” said Ewers. “The overall goal is to break barriers among the university body.”

After finishing his master’s degree, Ewers plans to either continue to his PhD or work as a software or data engineer.

Lopez completed her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in industrial engineering with a specialization in human factors.

“During my undergraduate years at UB, I received tremendous support from my advisors and gained invaluable skills through internships and research experiences,” said Lopez. “Given UB’s reputation as a leading research institution, it was an easy decision to stay and pursue my master’s degree.”

While researching the possibility of pursuing a career in medicine, Lopez came across biomedical engineering and was drawn to the idea of designing the devices that are used by doctors. She is specializing in human factors during her graduate studies to learn to apply knowledge to the design and development of equipment, products or systems while keeping user experience in mind.

In the first year of the fellowship, Lopez will be working with the JEDI Policy Committee, providing leadership in developing accountability and support policies for the SEAS community, and she will support various JEDI programs along with Ewers.

“I’m eager to contribute to creating a more inclusive environment at SEAS and to collaborate with students to enhance their academic experiences,” said Lopez. “I am also looking forward to starting a new research project and presenting my findings at conferences.”

After earning her master’s degree, Lopez plans to pursue her PhD at UB or join the workforce in a position that aligns with her career objectives.