My husband, Dr. Damon Tull, and I are pleased to announce that our paper with co-authors Shawnisha Hester and physicist Dr. Anthony Johnson, Dark Matters: Metaphorical Black Holes that Affect Ethnic Underrepresentation in Engineering, is now available to the public. It can be downloaded in its entirety from ResearchGate, here. […]
When I went to Taiwan for the Pacific Sciences Congress, I was able to share “The Jessica Effect” as part of a session that was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I discussed several issues related to the importance of including and supporting women […]
The scene is the “after-discussion” that followed the 2016 PROMISE Research Symposium. We were a group of women – black and hispanic, part of the STEM enterprise. Among us were tiers of mentors and mentees of different levels. We were sharing … there were questions, and answers. We […]
This week, I have the honor of joining my colleagues to co-lead two sessions on diversity in engineering at the 2015 World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), share in the presentation of a co-authored paper on global diversity in engineering, and chair a session on cultural diversity. Given the […]
Today, I am in Colorado, where I worked with my colleagues from UMBC and PR to present the “Think Big” discussion on engaging diverse women in STEM in international research efforts, as part of the 2015 WEPAN (Women in Engineering ProActive Network) conference. Parts of the conversation are […]
Abstract: “The Jessica Effect” is a conceptual method of student engagement that is being used to mentor underrepresented graduate students at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC: An Honors University in Maryland), and within the University System of Maryland as part of the National Science Foundation’s project, […]
It is my honor to be among the “Cover Girls” for O’Reilly Media’s 2015 “Women in Data” publication! Here is the description for the book (electronic) that was released today: The gender gap in tech is shrinking. Women are still an underrepresented minority in the disciplines of science, […]
My name, Renetta, means “reborn” and persistence is a core value that was taught in my household. My parents, fueled by their faith, always taught my brothers and I that there was a divine plan for our lives (based on Old and New Testament teachings), and therefore we […]
This past weekend, I had a delegation of approximately 25 graduate students and postdocs at the 2014 SREB Compact for Faculty Diversity/Institute for Teaching and Mentoring in Atlanta. I had a session on mentoring faculty who will in turn mentor students, with my colleague, Dr. Christine Grant. Sunday’s […]
On September 18, 2014, I had the honor of participating on a panel for The Atlantic LIVE A New America: Empowering Hispanic Millennials for Tech Leadership, Washington, District of Columbia. My comments focused on access to STEM education, particularly at the graduate level. http://www.theatlantic.com/live/events/new-america5/2014/ This 2-hour program had three […]
PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP has posted the introduction to the “When Faculty Say X …” seminar at UMBC. This video was initially designed to introduce a seminar, one that I would typically moderate in person. Students have asked me to answer some of the questions via video. This introductory […]
Although my sessions at mentoring sessions at MIT have been taped for the last few years, the plan to have a mentoring series came as a result of a complicated schedule. When I came to UMBC, I started the “When Faculty Say ‘X’ (They Really Mean ‘Y’)” seminar […]
Over the last two weeks I’ve given a talk at MIT, had meetings at Harvard, and I’ve given a presentation and participated in a plenary panel at the International Forum of the American Society of Engineering Education conference (ASEE) (My talk was titled “Bringing Women in STEM to […]
It has been a great pleasure to be a Co-PI for the ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM project in Puerto Rico. Last week, we had a poster presentation at the National Science Foundation’s annual ADVANCE PI meeting, and then we had the ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM Workshop […]
This weekend, I enjoyed participating in two events: 1) “Primer foro sobre publicaciones academicas de la Universidad Metropolitana” with faculty (I served on the panel, and listened to outcomes from a PROMISE workshop that we gave in PR in May. and 2) Research Symposium for Students, sponsored by […]
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of co-organizing and co-leading the “Women in STEM” forum for the Latin and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) in Mexico. This forum was the part of a continuing conversation between LACCEI and the Organization of American States. My […]
This week, I had a chance to join colleagues Dr. Melanie Harrison (NOAA in California), Sara Xayarath Hernandez (Director of Diversity Programs for the College of Engineering at Cornell University, and winner of a US Presidential Award for Mentoring), and Dr. Ashanti Johnson (Executive Director for the Institute […]
It was my pleasure to give the opening remarks for the “Sharing STEM” session at the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Thank you to all of the speakers, and to our session co-chairs from UMass Lowell and San Francisco State University. […]
A few years ago, I wrote a post about the joy of having mentees who can surpass you. The joy continues! On Tuesday, I had a chance to meet with a mentee, Dr. Frances Carter-Johnson at MIT. We’d started a meeting in Virginia at the Society of STEM Women […]
I am honored to be a speaker for the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference in Austin, TX on June 18, 2013. Our panel just had a conference call to prepare for next week, and I’ve learned that we will be the only group talking about holistic support systems […]
This morning, my husband and I were talking about my upcoming day as a co-facilitator for the PROMISE Dissertation House (co-sponsored by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and The Graduate School at UMBC) and the numbers of students who are even calling my cell phone to ask if they can participate […]
I have the privilege of working with a group at MIT, so I have a chance to get to Boston a few times a year. On my most recent trip, I saw the shirt that you see in this post, which says, “Math is hard. So is life. […]
I have another blog dedicated to health (http://dietwithoutdeprivation.wordpress.com), and I realized that I hadn’t posted there since July! This is a sad state of affairs, because so many pieces of advice note that being cognizant of your diet and exercise (via journal or otherwise) can help with maintaining […]
I’ve found the cure for Monday after Thanksgiving eating. Pancakes! Yes, in my own weird world of eating, I’ve found pancakes to be my “cure.” This morning, I opened the fridge with thoughts of raiding and and ridding our family of the remaining leftovers. Afterall, we had three […]
I will be on leave for a while. My last day at work was on March 12 and I will return on June 1. Thank you for the well wishes and cards and especially the prayers!!!! I may update twitter or Facebook from time to time, but I […]
Tuesday was my birthday and it was WONDERFUL! I really enjoyed my day. I was at work, but was so blessed to receive flowers from current students (thanks BDs!!!!), flowers from a former student (Thanks Shawnisha!) — they’re in my office!, songs (thanks Mom – who lovingly and […]
It’s February 2010. I just came from the warm beaches of Puerto Rico to the shocking snow of the DC/MD/VA area. All I can say is WOW, especially since I’m not even home yet due to weather-related travel diversions. So, this blog is for my entertainment and for […]
This past week was filled with lots of hard work, a measure of stress, a measure of relief, and moments of fun! In all, I think that it was quite balanced! We had a huge set of meetings at UMET that was similar to a mini-conference but we […]
Am I really simplifying my life by consolidating my blogs? I think so. I have decided to “simplify” my online life a bit since I have so many blogs along with Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’m looking forward to the new consolidated blog format.
This morning I went to http://www.gospel.com to see what topics they had for the day, including the daily Bible verse, and I ran across this article on friendship. The article talks about 4 guys who are friends in college and rather than disperse after graduation, they make a […]
Those of you who have been reading my blogs know that music really moves me to reflect, contemplate, and even to act. The latest song that I wake up to is Israel Houghton’s POWER OF ONE. Here are the words, they speak for themselves. What if it all […]
Today I go home! Adios to the warm tropics. Hola to the cold. It was a good trip and as much as I liked it, I’m ready to go home. 🙂 I have more pictures to post of my apartment, car, backyard, etc. I’ll get to that over […]
Today was my last day at UMET for this trip! I had a wonderful time. My hosts and I presented our results to the Chancellor and then we went out to dinner. The dinner was held at the Alcázar resturant. The pictures show this huge, wonderful dessert that […]
Today we had a wonderful adventure. The day started out in an interesting way … I was driving to the campus and I made a wrong turn. Yes, I was lost! Once I knew that I was going the wrong way, I tried to correct it. But alas, […]
Conferencia: estudiantes, profesores y comiunidad … Conference: students, professors, and community. I am priviledged to be in Puerto Rico during a time of discussion about globalization and culture. The conference is presented by “La Escuela de Ciencias Sociales, Humunidades y Comunicaciones de la Universidad Metropolitana” (The School of […]
Host and colleague in Palmas del Mar One of the kioskos (kiosks) in Luquillo (near Fajardo) On the patio at the home of my host. At the clock in Caguas, across from “Dulce Nombre de Jesús” Host and colleague at the coffee stand in Caguas. Muchos lugares … […]
Mi cancion para esta dia … my song for this day. It is Sunday again, and I had planned to go to see the mother of one of my students who passed away a few years ago; she lives on the other side of the island, and it […]
http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/therusticexperience/p/Pinones.htm Today was a day full of rich culture. My host of the day was a teacher that I met at a conference in Utah last Fall. We happened to be sitting at the same table for lunch and as we were talking about Puerto Rico, she volunteered […]
Trabajando – working. Today, I was working with students for most of the morning and I had meetings in the afternoon. I gave a talk yesterday and today I had a “Coffee Hour” which was similar to “drop-in office hours.” So I worked with students on their statements […]
¿Ayudo? This literally means “I help?” I was struggling with my keys outside of the gate today and a gentleman asked “¿Ayudo?” I realized that he was asking me if I needed help, so I said “No, gracias.” I’m learning some of the shortened ways of saying things […]
Today I am home early, recovering from a bit of laryngitis so my communication for most of the day was via text messaging. It cleared up a bit yesterday, but I had meetings today and nearly lost my voice again. I enjoyed my lunch meeting today. Here are […]
Yesterday, I started my day by doing laundry so that I could have some clean clothes for the week. I was invited to a reception for a visiting Fulbright Scholar from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. The photos show my morning laundry/ironing, my host and his wife, […]
(Extra photos from Saturday.) I forgot to add these photos. These murals on are the walls of a building in Rio Piedras.
This afternoon I went to La Fiesta de la Calle San Sebastián. It was a festival on the Calle de San Sebastián (San Sebastián street) in Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan.) This is a festival that is held for a few days each year in January. There […]
Every now and then, something really strikes me … about the world, about trying to see the world as God would want me to see it. I was talking to a friend yesterday about a favorite song, Tye Tribbett’s “Chasing After You.” The lyrics are: (Lyrics are written […]
Esta tardes, estuve en Río Piedras con una de mis estudiantes de Maryland quien estaba nació en Puerto Rico. Fuimos a almuerzo en la cafeteria en la Plaza del Mercado. La comida fue delicioso. Comí pollo, arroz, aguacate, y un refresco (una bebida) llamó “Coco Rico.” ¡Estoy lleno! […]
Está lloviendo mucho … it is raining alot! It was raining last night, and again this morning at 5:30 (it woke me up), and throughout the day, and when I was on my way home from work. Rain, rain, rain! ¡Lluvia, lluvia, lluvia! My hosts gave me my […]
Lo pongo aqui … “I put it here.” That’s what I said to the man that I helped at the train station this morning. He was trying to refill his farecard for the train (shown in photo) and he was putting it in the wrong space. I had […]
Today I ate lunch with a colleague in the cafeteria on campus. Yesterday, my hosts gave me a very nice square lunch bag (it’s like a small bookbag/knapsack for food), so I decided that I would use it today. I went to the grocery store yesterday (I go […]
I just finished with my meetings for the morning and a quick lunch. I usually eat lunch in my office, but was determined to do something different … so I went outside to eat and walk around a bit … afterall, it’s Puerto Rico, and it’s warm and […]
I arrived in Puerto Rico this afternoon and was treated to wonderful, warm hospitality by my hosts from Universidad Metropolitana. The weather was hot (for me) but warm by Puerto Rican standards … 80+ degrees and humid! I went to the store (supermercado) this evening to buy some […]
At last night’s vigil and memorial service for UMBC student Jamie Heard, there was a great poem read at the end of the night which spoke of people dying, but love living on, so give love away. A simple concept, but one that really would change the world. […]
I was recently honored to be chosen as the guest speaker for the Valentine’s Day Lunch for the Graduate Student Chapter of the Women in Science and Engineering (G-WISE), UMBC’s campus. By request, I am posting the points from the talk. WISE Valentine’s Day Lunch Feb. 14, 2008 […]
I started this post months ago … in November 2007 in fact; I’m not sure why I didn’t finish it. But yesterday I went to the vigil and campus memorial service for one of our undergrads Jamie Heard. Jamie’s life touched people whether you knew him or not. […]
At one of our recent student conferences, a student came to the microphone and publicly described one of our graduate student support and development programs as “ACADEMIC CHURCH.” He said that sometimes you fall away, and you know what you’re supposed to do, then you come back and […]
Well, it has been a few months, and I’ve been contemplating another post for a while. I’ve wondered what to say and figured that I’ll talk briefly about The Secret. Yes, we’ve heard Oprah talk about the book, she did a show on it, it’s even been in […]
A few weeks ago I gave a talk to the McNairs and the title of the talk was “Your Purpose: Next Steps.” The title was partially inspired by The Purpose Driven Life, but the content of the talk was based on a great book that I read called […]
Renetta Garrison Tull - Living Life Online 