Biomedical Engineering
Michael Sutton
Please describe any relevant past experience
I have served on councils for student groups in both high school and college. Some of my most recent involvement includes being the financial chair for my undergraduate chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, an organization committed to increasing the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. In addition, I served as Vice President of my residential house council, where I helped organize a number of events for about 100 students on a bi-weekly basis and served as a liaison between students and housing department administration. I am also currently running for the position of Secretary of GraBME for the upcoming academic year. Although I am a new student to this campus, I have already made a number of efforts to engrain myself in the atmosphere of Columbia University and the concerns of its student body. I have demonstrated a deep interest in events that will affect this campus, such as the discussion of graduate students forming a union. I have also taken the initiative in orchestrating a number of events for my fellow BME graduate students to enhance their academic opportunities (e.g. talking with EHS staff to have a C14 certification class for qualified first years), as well as to contribute to an enjoyable social climate around the department (e.g. forming a fantasy football league among BME graduate students). I think my past experience and demonstrated initiative make me an excellent candidate to be a Department Representative for Biomedical Engineering this year, and I appreciate having the opportunity to continue to serve my fellow engineering students in a broader capacity.
What are your goals/vision for your committees of choice? How do you think you can contribute to them?
For the Academic Affairs Committee, I hope to see a greater degree of transparency from the administration and the things that most affect the student body. I understand that one of the tasks of this committee is raising student concerns to the proper authorities, and I think I can contribute in this regard, because I have a true desire to seek out students and learn what their concerns are. I think that a vast number of students have things that they would like to see changed, or perhaps better implemented, but there isn't always the time or energy for them to individually find the correct people to talk to. I would like to help streamline this process and make it easier for their concerns to be heard when they come up. I think this will add to the actions we are able to take after receiving the student survey, particularly for students who, for whatever reason, might choose not to fill it out or wanted more of a face to face conversation about their concerns. One of the selling points for me as a prospective graduate student at Columbia was the opportunity for interdisciplinary research, and I believe that has the capacity to extend beyond the classroom. I think maintaining healthy and productive relationships with other student governing bodies of the University is vital to making the most of our time here. Learning about other groups and what's important to them can only make us 1) a more informed organization ourselves, and 2) and more cohesive unit as a student body. I would love to see cooperation and collaboration between other various student groups. In particular, I think my ability to take initiative can assist in bridging the gap between our two campuses. From my short time here, it seems as though Morningside and CUMC are states away, rather than 48 blocks. I think making more of a conscious effort to have events and stay connected with CUMC student governing groups has the potential to greatly enhance our academic and social experience at Columbia. The Budget Committee is extremely important to an organization's operational efficiency. I think that my experience working as a finance chair and advisor to the treasurer for some student organizations will help me both review budget proposals and make the necessary distribution of funds. I would also hope that this involvement leads to more collaboration with these recognized student groups and perhaps being able to take part in some of the events that they plan.
Chris Mosher
Please describe any relevant past experience
My name is Chris Mosher, and I am a third-year PhD student in biomedical engineering. I have been highly active in the biomedical engineering department, serving as our graduate student group's (GraBME's) philanthropy chair, vice president, and career/academic chair. To this end, I revamped the philanthropy chair position and established annual events with St. Luke's Hospital and PurpleStride, a 5k run/walk raising funds for pancreatic cancer research. I also worked with EGSC to organize volunteers for New York Cares Day. As vice president, I aided in the planning and execution of Interview Weekend for potential MS and PhD students, and as academic/career chair, I am currently working to re-establish a young alumni panel in collaboration with the Society for Biomaterials. Additionally, as a recipient of NSF GRFP, I am spearheading a workshop specifically for biomedical engineers applying for the fellowship. Outside of the biomedical engineering department, I am chair of the Columbia Graduate Council (CGC). Through CGC, I am working with students and administrators from across Columbia's graduate schools to organize FestiFall, an approximately 2,000 person event open to all graduate students. Through this endeavor, CGC has raised ~$24,000 and counting, and has worked with University Events Management and Financial Advising to ensure the event will be a success. After working briefly with EGSC to plan New York Cares Day, I am interested in getting more involved. I hope that my experience working in various roles with several departments at the university makes me an ideal candidate for BME department representative. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
What are your goals/vision for your committees of choice? How do you think you can contribute to them?
EGSC has done an excellent job hosting social events addressing the needs of the entirety of our diverse student population. However, the social committee could improve in making the events accessible to everyone. In my experience working with graduate students, many do not read all of their e-mails or even know how to sign up for EGSC's mailing list, so they are unaware that these great social events are occurring. On the social committee, I would aim to reach out to as many SEAS students as possible. Other groups have had success recruiting members in person by going lab-to-lab and talking about their events. I think EGSC would benefit from this. I have experience in recruiting members to the groups I am a part of, and would love to get involved in this. I would like EGSC to work more closely with CGC on interschool issues. As chair of CGC, I could act as a liaison between the groups. CGC was recently established and we are looking for opportunities to collaborate with other groups, such as EGSC, to bring more interschool meetups to the university. Since I have worked with SEAS administrators for CGC, I am interested in the academic affairs committee to learn more about what the committee does and how EGSC can impact the university at a higher level than SEAS.