Skyline College was represented at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference, held June 22–25 in Montreal, Canada. Professor Emilie Hein, Principal Investigator (PI) of the Innovative and Meaningful Mentoring to Enhance Retention, Success, and Engagement (IMMERSE) in STEM program, presented a poster highlighting the program’s impact on student success and engaged with other National Science Foundation (NSF) grantees, as well as STEM students and faculty from across the US. While in Montreal, Professor Hein also had the opportunity to visit the nEXO group at McGill University, which provided her with an amazing tour of the Brunner Neutrino Lab.
Launched in 2023, IMMERSE in STEM is now in its third year and has already supported more than 30 students through nearly $600,000 in scholarships awarded to date, including those for Fall 2025. Funded by the NSF, the program provides both financial support and academic mentoring to help students pursue and persist in STEM pathways.
In addition to the poster presentation, Professor Hein and co-Principal Investigator Rick Hough designed a workshop on Best Practices in Mentoring Students, which was offered as a Fall 2025 FLEX activity for Skyline College faculty.
Fall 2025 will be another exciting semester for the IMMERSE in STEM community! Some scholars will get to attend the S-STEM Meeting in San Diego, and more students will be recruited to join its existing cohorts.
Skyline College is proud to share the continued success of IMMERSE in STEM and its growing impact on student achievement and faculty professional development. This work reflects the college’s strong commitment to advancing equity and excellence in STEM education through innovative programs, dedicated faculty, and the support of the NSF.
This material is based upon work supported by NSF S-STEM grant award #2221696. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Article by: Emilie Hein, Rick Hough
Photo credit: Emilie Hein
