The AEMES programs serve students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and promote the success of students from social groups historically underrepresented in those fields. We seek to ensure access for all students interested in enrolling in STEM courses and in obtaining research experiences. AEMES facilitates success by focusing on three key areas: recruitment, gateway experiences and captone experiences. We aim to increase the number and retention of students from underrepresented groups, to ensure success in our introductory STEM courses, and to support students interested in completing honors and special studies projects.
About the Programs

Early Research pairs students who wish to participate in research with faculty mentors engaged in research on campus. Student involvement is typically a long-term commitment (one or two semesters) to a faculty research project. Contact between students and faculty outside of the classroom often leads to summer research opportunities and honors work. Early Research is a volunteer opportunity.
Early Research projects and applications are typically made available in the early days of each semester. If you are interested in applying for an Early Research project and you are not participating in the Peer Mentoring program, please contact the AEMES Team early in the fall semester.
Overview
The AEMES (Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering and Sciences) Scholars programs are dedicated to building a community of diverse students in those fields at Smith. Core components of AEMES Scholars include:
- Research with a member of the STEM faculty
- Enrollment in a seminar that enhances skills for achieving academic goals
- Participation in the Peer Mentoring Program
- Leadership opportunities
- Community building
Research With a Faculty Mentor
In the summer before orientation, all entering AEMES Scholars are matched with a faculty mentor with whom they will work on a project in a STEM field throughout the academic year. Examples of projects include:
- The Making of the Vertebrate Brain
- Water Chemistry and Environmental Monitoring
- Chemistry of Herbal Medicine
- Observing Transiting Exoplanets
- Media Portrayal of Women Scientists
- Psychology and Climate Change
- Engineering Education in K through 12
- Applications of Mathematics in Industry
The AEMES Seminar
All entering AEMES Scholars enroll in this two-credit course. It meets twice a week in the fall semester and focuses on skills, study groups and self-reflection. Taught by Valerie Joseph, an anthropologist who joined the AEMES program in 2015, the seminar is one of the earliest opportunities for community building within a cohort.
Peer Mentoring
All first-year AEMES Scholars are assigned a peer mentor, a returning AEMES Scholar who usually majors in an academic discipline in which the mentee has expressed some interest. Mentors and mentees also participate in a range of networking, support and social activities throughout the academic year as part of the program. The full AEMES Peer Mentoring Program includes many students who are not AEMES Scholars.
Leadership
Examples of leadership opportunities within the AEMES Programs include:- Serving as a peer mentor
- Being a member of the AEMES Scholars Advisory Board
- Being a Mentor Leader
- Being a McKinley Honors Fellow
- Serving on the Science Center Committee on Diversity
- Ad hoc opportunities, such as speaking on panels or hosting incoming AEMES Scholars
Community Building
The AEMES Advisory Board and the AEMES Team host several events throughout the year to help build the AEMES community. Some events are for all programs, while others focus more specifically on the AEMES Scholars or an individual AEMES Scholars cohort.
Applying
Prospective scholars are identified through the Smith College admission process and invited to apply.
Applications for Fall Pre-Honors and Honors McKinley Fellowships are due by the first Friday in April.
Overview
To encourage all eligible Smith students to undertake an honors thesis in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, the AEMES McKinley Fellowship Programs include the Honors Fellows and the Junior Pre-Honors Fellows for eligible seniors and juniors, respectively. Our goal in offering these fellowships is to enable qualified students to pursue independent research that leads to a successful honors thesis and fulfill their work-study obligation by working with their sponsoring faculty member. These fellowships provide leadership opportunities in the form of presentations and interaction with students who may pursue honors in the future.
These fellowships are meant for students with high potential for success in research, who want to devote time to research, but whose financial need might obligate them to engage in work-study positions instead. Therefore, work-study status and financial need are crucial considerations in the McKinley applicant selection process.
Program Selection Committee
- Lisa Mangiamele, Assistant Professor in Biology,Candice Price, Associate Professor in Math and Statistics
- Candice Price, Associate Professor in Math and Statistics
Independent Research in the Junior Year
An independent research project, working with a faculty member in the students’ junior year, may begin in the fall and/or spring semesters. The intent of the Junior Pre-Honors Fellowship Program is to support student research in the third year before a student commits to an honors thesis. Students are expected to enroll in Special Studies in order to receive academic credit for their research. Junior fellows typically undertake 4–6 credits of Special Studies throughout the year (2–3 credits per semester).
Honors Theses in the Senior Year
An honors thesis is usually a yearlong project completed by a student in senior year, working with a faculty member. Like all honors students, McKinley Fellows receive academic credit for their research by enrolling in a senior thesis course (8 or 12 credits).
If you are interested and eligible (eligibility is determined by department and program), this option should be considered seriously, as undertaking honors research is intense, rewarding and often becomes a highlight of an undergraduate career. It is common for thesis work to lead to a presented or published paper, and completing an honors thesis is viewed favorably by graduate and professional schools. All guidelines and details about the honors process are available on the class deans website.
Benefits of AEMES McKinley Program
Fellowships of $3,000 will be awarded in biweekly installments throughout the academic year in which the Senior fellow is supported. Junior Fellows are ordinarily funded for a year at $3,000 but may opt to be funded for a semester at $1,500.
Finding a Faculty Adviser
To apply for an AEMES McKinley Fellowship, you must first find a faculty adviser for your research. In some limited cases, the student comes up with a topic first and then finds a faculty member who agrees to supervise the work. More commonly, the student approaches one or more faculty members and asks about topic options. The student then chooses one topic to pursue.
Requirements of the Fellowship
- Conduct research for an honors thesis in a STEM field, or for Pre-Honors, enroll in Special Studies.
- Meet at least once, at the start of the fellowship, with the AEMES program coordinator to discuss plans and expectations for the year.
- Participate in at least two events during the year at which the fellow will speak with other students about pursuing independent research or honors (these may be classes, lunchtime seminars or workshops).
- Mentor individual students who are considering or interested in pursuing research.
- To continue receiving support, each McKinley Fellow is required to provide evidence of thesis or special studies research in the form of an unofficial transcript. The transcript must be submitted to the AEMES Mentoring Team McKinley liaison and the Mentoring Coordinator by the first day of spring semester.
- At the end of the fellowship period, each fellow must submit an end-of-project product (such as a paper, poster from Celebrating Collaborations, or abstract). These products are particularly important to the program in justifying the McKinley Fellowship and ensuring its continuation for future fellows.
How to Apply for a Pre-Honors Fellowship
Pre-Honors applications are due by the first Friday in April. The following documents should be submitted via the Google Form link below:
- A one-page description of your proposed research that includes what you wish to study, why and what your expected outcomes may be.
- A copy of your transcript.
- A brief statement explaining: (1) how a fellowship through the McKinley Pre-Honors Fellowship Program will support success for your project; and (2) why you believe you will be a good role model for students who are considering conducting independent research.
- A brief, informal statement of recommendation from your research adviser, submitted on this Faculty Recommendation Form.
MCKINLEY PRE-HONORS FELLOWSHIP
PROGRAM APPLICATION
How to Apply for an Honors Fellowship
Honors applications are due by the first Friday in April. The following documents should be submitted via the Google Form link below:
- A copy of your honors proposal.
- A copy of your transcript.
- A brief statement explaining: (1) how a fellowship through the McKinley Honors Fellowship Program will support success for your project; (2) why you believe you will be a good role model for students who are considering honors for their senior year.
- A brief, informal statement of recommendation from your research adviser submitted on this Faculty Recommendation Form.
MCKINLEY HONORS FELLOWSHIP
PROGRAM APPLICATION
Overview
The Peer Mentoring Program seeks to ensure access for students interested in STEM subjects, including those from social groups historically underrepresented in these fields (such as students of color and students who are first in their families to attend college). Incoming students who intend to major in math, computer science, engineering or science are paired with a returning student who usually majors in the same field. Mentors and mentees participate in networking, support and social activities throughout the academic year.
History of the Program
Established in 1995, this program has been funded continuously by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a gift from Janet McKinley ’76.
Mentoring Contract
Mentors and mentees collaborate on goals for the year that they outline in a contract submitted to the Mentoring Program. Please fill out the Contract Form.
Mentoring Responsibilities
An effort is made to pair mentors and mentees by academic interests, and each mentor is responsible for no more than two mentees.
Mentors check in with their mentees once a week and meet face-to-face at least once a month. Mentors also complete an online mentoring report once a month that is shared with only the mentoring support team. These reports help to document the progress and goals of each mentor/mentee relationship.
The mentoring program hosts teas in the Clark Science Center and organizes other social events (ice cream socials, bowling, pizza dinners) a few times a semester. These gatherings are important for strengthening and maintaining ongoing mentoring contacts, bringing together students and mentors with diverse backgrounds for a common purpose.
Program History
In 2007, faculty members Laura Katz (biology) and Kate Queeney (chemistry) launched the AEMES Programs to enhance support for diverse students interested in STEM at Smith College. The programs have been supported by a generous gift from Janet McKinley ’76 with additional funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Dreyfus Foundation and Smith College. The AEMES Programs build in part on a long-running Peer Mentoring Program that was established in 1995 by Program Coordinator Casey Clark, Professor of Psychology Brenda Allen and several other science faculty members.
Events
The Annual AEMES Research Symposium
This symposium is a yearly opportunity for McKinley Junior and Senior Fellows and AEMES Scholars of all class years to present their research to an audience of faculty, peers and special guests.
Explore Science! at Women of Distinction
During this event for high school seniors visiting campus as part of the Office of Admission’s Women of Distinction Program, faculty and students from the Clark Science Center talk to the visiting students about the STEM disciplines offered at Smith and engage them in entertaining activities.
Attending Conferences
Every year, the Office of STEM Advising and Mentoring provides advising and occasional financial support for students to attend selected conferences. Conferences recently attended by Smith students include:
- Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students
- Biomedical Science Careers Student Conference
- Latino Medical Student Association
- New England Science Symposium
- SACNAS
- Student National Medical Association
Funding for Conferences
AEMES offers funding for conference-related expenses to those who are members of the AEMES family, including the following groups:
- AEMES Scholars (all cohorts)
- Participants in the AEMES Mentoring Program
- McKinley Fellows (juniors and seniors)
- AEMES Early Research
- STEM Posse
Priority goes to AEMES Scholars but all members of the AEMES family are welcome to apply.
Attendance at the conferences must align with the AEMES mission, which is the promotion of full and equitable participation in the sciences for students from underrepresented populations.
The maximum grant award is $500.
How to Apply
Fill out the online application by October 1 (though we will accept and process applications after the deadline if there are monies available).
The AEMES Scholars Advisory Board (AAB) includes representatives from each of the four cohorts on campus. Together, students on the AAB host community-building events for the AEMES Scholars and serve as liaisons between the scholars and the faculty/staff AEMES Team.
Mentor leaders are returning students who have served as peer mentors in the past. These students are a “mentor's mentor.” They serve as a resource for other mentors, they assist in the planning and facilitation of trainings and they host social events for the mentoring community.
The AEMES Team is a small group of faculty and staff who lead the AEMES programs.
David Gorin
Faculty Director | Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Research: 1) Organic chemistry: the development of safe, stable alternatives to widely-used hazardous chemical reagents. 2) Chemical biology: the development of DNA-based reagents for the chemical modification of one target compound in a biological mixture.
Dave Gorin is mostly an organic chemist, but dabbles at the interface with biology. He teaches general chemistry, organic chemistry, advanced laboratory courses, and a chemical biology seminar. Dave is also a member of the Board of Prehealth Advisors, and is always happy to chat with students considering career paths in the sciences and/or health professions.
Valerie A. Joseph
Administrative Director | Clark Science Center Administration Valerie is a cultural anthropologist whose research interests are social and structural bias and discrimination, especially those seemingly hidden in mamainstream cultural messages and behaviors. Her research interests and her skills in mediation, consulting and diversity training led her to Smith where as the AEMES Mentoring Administrative Director, she supports students from populations historically blocked from access to and inclusion in the sciences. Her duties extend to providing opportunities for public conversations about socially important issues through her work with the Office of Equity and Inclusion's The Roundtable Group (TRG) and her convening of a unique and powerful form of public discourse that she developed: Grounded Knowledge Panels™
Gary Felder
Faculty Liaison for AEMES Peer Mentoring | Professor, Physics Gary’s research is on the universe in the first moments after the Big Bang, and on the connections between chaos theory and quantum mechanics. Gary is chair of the Math Success Group that tries to promote success for all students in quantitative fields and co-chair of the Science Center Committee on Diversity.
Jack Loveless
Faculty Liaison for AEMES Early Research | Associate Professor, Geosciences Jack Loveless studies active plate tectonics and earthquakes. In research, he uses high precision Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements to track the motion of tectonic plates, using these data to infer the behavior of faults that could generate earthquakes. He teaches courses in geographic information systems (GIS), structural geology, and tectonics.
Lisa Mangiamele
Faculty Liaison for the McKinley Fellowship Program | Associate Professor Lisa is an integrative neurobiologist interested in animal communication, comparative neurobiology, and the evolution of the brain. She is faculty member in the Dept of Biological Sciences and in the Neuroscience program, where she teaches courses in Animal Physiology, Experimental Methods in Neuroscience, and Systems Neurobiology.
Faculty mentors welcome students from the AEMES Scholars and Early Research programs into their research groups. AEMES Scholars faculty mentors also serve as academic advisers.
Shannon Audley
Associate Professor, Education & Child Study
Research Advisors, School for Social Work
413-585-3257
Michael Barresi
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3697
Annaliese Beery
Associate Professor, Psychology
413-585-3918
Reid Bertone-Johnson
Lecturer, Landscape Studies
413-585-3328
David Bickar
Professor, Chemistry
413-585-3837
Maren Buck
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
413-585-7599
Judith Cardell
Professor, Engineering
413-585-4222
Deborah Day
STEAM Outreach Coordinator
413-585-3932
Peter de Villiers
Sophia and Austin Smith Professor Emeritus of Psychology
413-585-3908
Rob Dorit
Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3638
Glenn Ellis
Professor, Engineering
413-585-4598
Jean Ferguson
Director, Learning, Research, and Technology
413-585-2911
John Foley
Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science
413-585-3789
Bosiljka Glumac
Professor, Geosciences
413-585-3680
David Gorin
Associate Professor, Chemistry
413-585-3889
Adam Hall
Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3467
Mary Harrington
Director of Neuroscience
Tippit Professor in Life Sciences, Psychology
413-585-3925
Virginia Hayssen
Chaired Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3856
Elizabeth Jamieson
Professor, Chemistry
413-585-7588
Stephanie Jones
Assistant Professor Exercise & Sport Studies
Laura Katz
Elsie Damon Simonds Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3825
Katherine Kinnaird
Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Statistical and Data Sciences
413-585-3876
Mona Kulp
Laboratory Instructor, Chemistry
(413) 585-3735
Jack Loveless
Associate Professor, Geosciences
413-585-2657
James Lowenthal
Professor, Astronomy
413-585-6995
Lisa Mangiamele
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3879
Peggy O'Neill
Assistant Professor, School for Social Work
413-585-7969
Paulette Peckol
Louise C. Harrington Professor, Biological Sciences
413-585-3844
Nnamdi Pole
Professor, Psychology
413-585-3936
Sara Pruss
Associate Professor, Geosciences
413-585-3948
Daniel Schultheis
Lecturer, Mathematics & Statistics
413-585-3666
Alexandra Strom
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
413-585-4628
Cristina Suarez
Professor, Chemistry
413-585-3838
Julianna Tymoczko
Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
413-585-3775
Dano Weisbord
Executive Director, Sustainability and Campus Planning VP/Finance & Administration
413- 585-2427
Paul Wetzel
Curr & Research Administrator, Center for the Environment
413- 585-2646
Steven Williams
Gates Professor of Biology, Biological Sciences
413- 585-3826
William Williams
Associate Professor, Physics
413-585-3965
Sarah Witkowski
Associate Professor, Exercise & Sport Studies
413-585-4555
The Science Center Committee on Diversity (SCCD) is a group of faculty, staff and students that initiates and promotes programming to increase diversity and promote education on issues of diversity and social justice in the sciences, technology, mathematics and engineering. We believe that effective programs to increase underrepresented and first-generation student participation in the sciences will enable these populations to achieve excellence early in their time at Smith and will generate a better learning environment for all students.
In addition to supporting the AEMES programs (AEMES Scholars, Peer Mentoring, Early Research and the McKinley Honors Fellowship Program) and activities with Union of Underrepresented Students in the Sciences (US2) and Minority Association of Prehealth Students (MAPS), SCCD supports new individual and departmental initiatives to promote diversity in the sciences.
2021 Leadership
The SCCD is a self-selected group of mainly DivIII students, staff and faculty, representing student organizations, administrative units and academic departments and programs.
Co-chairs: Laura Katz, Professor, Biological Sciences; Gary Felder, Professor, Physics; Wayne Ndlovu '22, Major: Geosciences; Shevaughn Holness '23, Major Bioloigcal Science
The Posse Foundation
The Posse Foundation was founded in 1989 by MacArthur Fellow Deborah Bial. Posse recruits 10 student leaders from public high schools for each “posse,” sending them to colleges across the country with full-tuition scholarships. The Posse STEM Initiative was launched in 2008 and is partnered with Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Georgetown, Middlebury, Pomona, Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Smith joined this partnership in 2015 when it enrolled its first STEM Posse.
More information on the Posse Foundation and the STEM Initiative can be found on the Posse Foundation’s website. For more information about Smith’s involvement with The Posse STEM Initiative, see the Grécourt Gate article.
Smith’s STEM Posse

- Jasmin Almonte
- Ama Boamah
- Shabathyah Charles
- Jiayun Chen
- Naomi Giancola
- Brenda Gutierrez
- Marge Poma Alarcon
- Jiselle Ramirez
- Christina Sherpac
- Alicia Weaver

- Ahlenne Abreu
- Stephanie Bravo-Heras
- Ashley Cruz
- Melany Garcia
- Rebecca Harrigan
- Ashley Jackman
- Yeji Lee
- Diamond Lewis
- Desiree Michel
- Akilah Williams
- Sakina Ali
- Alana Brown
- Yacine Fall
- Isabel Gomez
- Storm Lewis
- Vivienne Maxwell
- Amarachi Okorom
- Mayeline Pena
- Braina Peter’s
- Aminah Williams
- Alina Siminiouk
- Asha Reed-Jones
- Dana Ragoonanan
- Elizabeth Boahen
- Emely Tejada Jaquez
- Gabrielee Valle
- Leanna Troncoso
- Mariama Jaiteh
- Stormi Smith
- Tiffany Xiao
Contact
David Gorin, Faculty Director
413-585-3889 | Ford Hall 310
dgorin@smith.edu
413-585-2638 | Bass Hall 112
vjoseph@smith.edu