FALL & Spring 2023-2024 WEBINAR SERIES
The NSF HSI STEM Resource Hub fall 2023 and spring 2024 webinar series focuses on celebrating and learning from successful NSF HSI awardees. We host panels of successful PIs on specific topics that will engage our audience and support grant writing efforts for those planning a grant submission. This webinar series focuses on a broad array of topics that promote student success, wellness and diversity and inclusion. Dr. Martha Desmond and Dr. Delia Valles are the hosts for this series. The HSI STEM Hub recommends participation in these webinars to learn from successful awardees, particularly if you are currently writing a proposal or are interested in grant writing.
Frank A. Gomez, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of STEM-NET, a multicampus consortium, based at the California State University Office of the Chancellor, where he has led STEM initiatives for the 23-campus CSU system since 2019. He is also Professor of Chemistry at Cal State LA since 1994. He received his B.S. (1986) and Ph.D. (1991) in Chemistry from Cal State LA and UCLA, respectively. From 1991-1994 he was a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fund Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Gomez’s research focuses in developing microfluidic point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices, fuel cells, and batteries. He has mentored over 140 students and postdocs, the majority from underrepresented groups, and published over 130 publications in these fields. Since 1994, he has received over $21MM in research funding. As Executive Director of STEM-NET he has been a part of collaborative grants securing over $50MM in funding.
Wei Wu, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Construction Management at Lyles College of Engineering at California State University, Fresno. He received his Bachelor of Engineering in Built Environment and Equipment Engineering from Hunan University in China in 2004, Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford in the UK in 2005, and Doctor of Philosophy in Design, Construction, and Planning from the University of Florida in 2010. Dr. Wu’s teaching interest includes construction graphics, Design-Build Project Delivery, Building Information Modeling (BIM), advanced planning and pre-construction, and construction management senior capstone. He received 2018 Teaching Excellence Award of the Associated Schools of Construction (Region 7) and the 2019 Provost Award in Innovation of Fresno State. Dr. Wu’s research focuses on BIM, cyberlearning, extended reality (XR), and construction and engineering education. He has published more than 70 articles and conference proceedings in these areas. Dr. Wu’s research has been funded by regional and federal agencies, including National Science Foundation (NSF) grants on active and authentic learning with XR.
Toni Sauncy is Professor and Chair of Physics at Texas Lutheran University (TLU), a small private liberal arts institution in south-central Texas. Sauncy holds a PhD in Physics and BS-Mathematics with a career focused on undergraduate physics teaching and research. Sauncy has directed several NSF-funded projects aimed at improving and enhancing the undergraduate STEM experience, including the AIP Career Pathways project that has resulted in important added resources for undergraduate physics departments and physics students nationwide. Since 2020 Sauncy has led work leads work on an NSF IUSE:HSI grant known on campus as ”SURE” (STEM Undergraduates Reaching for Excellence) which has infused positive collaborative energy within the small STEM departments at TLU which include Biology, Chemistry, Math-Computer Science, Psychology, and Physics. The project (NSF Award #1953561) f on building STEM identity for students
Dr. Delia Valles Rosales is the Chair of the Industrial Management and Technology Department at Texas A&M at Kingsville. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from the Instituto Tecnologico de Durango and her master’s of science and MS and PhD from New Mexico State University all in industrial engineering. Her research uses nature to inspire the development of innovative manufacturing processes, new processes of biomass utilization, and models and algorithms for system optimization in agriculture, education, manufacturing, and service areas. More specifically, Dr. Valles-Rosales has been investigating various biomass resources as fibers to be coupled with polymers for fulfilling the need of new applications. She has been the PI or Co-PI in excess of $5 million in grants from various federal agencies and corporations. Her research has impacted several students with funded projects focused on student recruitment, retention, and curriculum development. She has extensive experience in mentoring students in research projects and capstone courses. She has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
