Four Benedictine University STEM faculty-mentored students for undergraduate research presented at Elmhurst University’s CASE and PUMA-STEM Symposium on July 28. The Promotion of Underrepresented Minorities in Academic STEM (PUMA-STEM) Alliance is focused on strengthening underrepresented minority student success in STEM at primarily undergraduate and regional institutions. The PUMA-STEM summer research program engages students for 8 weeks in independent research projects mentored by faculty within institutions in the PUMA-STEM Alliance. The hard work of the students and mentors were on display at the culminating event at Elmhurst University where each student presented their work as posters.

Congratulations to the students and their mentors for a fantastic set of presentations: Axel Magana Ponce (Elmhurst University) and Jose Montelongo (Elmhurst University) mentored by Dr. Stefan Stefanoski; Servando Casillas Garabito (College of DuPage) mentored by Dr. Jim Fackenthal; Keith McGee (College of DuPage) mentored by Dr. Leigh Anne Harden; and Esbeida Olascoaga (College of DuPage) mentored by Dr. Tiara Perez Morales.

PUMA-STEM students will also be presenting this fall at the regional event, the 2023 Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence Conference.