Achievement

The annual IGERT trainees retreat was held on July 26, 2011. A student committee (Scott Lefevre, Mitch Leroy, Joe Novak and Ben Clough) was elected among the trainees. The committee surveyed a retreat date, invited speakers, collected abstracts and posters, and arranged a schedule of events under the supervision of the IGERT PI, G.-C. Wang. The students learned how to organize an event with all details. The speakers were IGERT alumnus Dr. Nick LiCausi from Global Foundries Company at Malta, NY and Dr. Kathy A. Gullie from Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany/SUNY. Dr. LiCausi gave a short presentation on how to prepare to work in industry and then opened for questions and answers. Dr. Gullie received her PhD in education evaluation. She emphasized to the IGERT trainees the importance of reporting and evaluation in all business. Rensselaer administrators including the Dean for Graduate Recruiting, IGERT advisors, summer REU students and their advisors attended the retreat.