Awardees of the Graduate Student Leadership Initiative not only go above and beyond to further their own research and careers in the engineering field, but they also strive to help others do the same. Here are some words from our awardees detailing their experience with the Initiative, how it helped them, and what advice they have for aspiring leaders in CEE.

What kind of research / work have you pursued as a part of the Leadership Initiative?

After being recognized for my involvement on campus, the Leadership Initiative played a role in encouraging me to continue to challenge myself outside of my regular academic responsibilities. I continued to take part in the John Lof Leadership Academy and I continued to serve as an e-board member for the Student Association of Graduate Engineers.

What conference / professional development did you take part in using the funds from this program?

Thanks to the Leadership Initiative, I was provided an opportunity to present my research at the 101st American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual conference. Not having to worry about how to cover a conference expenditure was relieving.

If you were awarded a Leadership Award, what event did you host for your fellow graduate students?

As one of the recipients of the Leadership Award, we hosted a "CEE Career Journey Panel for Graduate Students". We invited four UConn alumni with various expertise and a UConn professor from the CEE department to share their different career paths, experiences, and tips with our fellow graduate students.

Any words of advice for those interested in becoming leaders in the engineering field?

I highly encourage all graduate students to step out of their comfort zone and become a leader in their community. The people you meet, the skills you learn, and the experiences you are exposed to are all worth it.

What kind of research / work have you pursued as a part of the Leadership Initiative?

My research focuses on modeling the resilience of infrastructure, including transportation networks, power systems, and residential buildings, and communities to natural hazards, particularly hurricanes.

What conference / professional development did you take part in using the funds from this program?

I attended the 2022 ASCE Electrical Transmission and Substation Structures Congress in Orlando. This was a great professional development opportunity as it allowed me to network with leading professionals in the field, learn from the various presentations, and present my research.

Any words of advice for those interested in becoming leaders in the engineering field?

I've found trying to take advantage of every possible opportunity is a great way to grow. For instance, one organization reached out to me asking to join their e-board, and I have now served as their secretary for 3 years, and it has been a fulfilling experience. When applying for opportunities like awards or conferences, it's important to not get discouraged if you don't get selected, as some could be highly competitive- by seeking out more opportunities, you increase your chances of landing some.

What kind of research / work have you pursued as a part of the Leadership Initiative?

As a PhD candidate in ACMC lab, I coordinate and supervise graduate and undergraduate students in multiple research projects and monitor their progress. Here, I noticed how effective teaching - learning process could resolve the concerns instantly and avoid unnecessary delays. At the same time, I learnt to be empathetic with other researchers, which helped me to value their work and maintain good rapport. Apart from this, I learnt to build amicable relationships with material suppliers through efficient communication as we need a lot of raw materials to make concrete. Research alone demands significant amount of time and patience and managing the lab along with teaching and coursework amplify the need for disciplined routines. However, it is incredibly rewarding how research can improve many lives in long run.

Besides, I am actively involved in some of the student bodies on campus. Organizational leadership positions helped me to manage multiple groups of people with diverse skill sets, increased my sense of responsibilities towards community I belong to, shape my perspectives towards life, initiate the dialogue in social causes, and build wide vision towards world.

What conference / professional development did you take part in using the funds from this program?

I am combining two travel awards and planning to go to ACI conference 2023. Last year had been hectic with lab experiments and wrapping up one big project, thus, could not plan thoroughly.

If you were awarded a Travel Award, what steps did you take to actualize your vision of becoming a leader?

With the travel award, I get to participate in conference and present my work in front of researchers, students, professors, and industry experts working in similar fields. It would help me to build connection and learn new discoveries from others.

If you were awarded a Leadership Award, what event did you host for your fellow graduate students?

We hosted civil and environmental engineering (CEE) trivia night 2022. There were more than 20 participants: graduate students (from structural, environmental, and transportation engineering) and two professors (one from structural and another from transportation engineering). It was fun playing trivia and had some thoughtful discussions on leadership part which were based on real life scenarios.

Any words of advice for those interested in becoming leaders in the engineering field?

It is an amazing opportunity to come up with creative idea to organize event or workshop and get awarded for that. You can get plenty of opportunity to take initiation as well as boost the team performance in general. The process of creating simple idea and building up and transforming it into something substantial takes time, sometimes an entire semester. Professors are there to guide for this and this growth process can be manifested in other research and professional fronts as well.