Ashley Ellis knew the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) was the right place to pursue a Master of Engineering degree, but, until last week, it wasn’t yet home.
“I was particularly drawn to the PME master’s program because of its strong focus on preparing students for careers in the science industry,” Ellis said. "When I reviewed the coursework, it reaffirmed my decision, as it was clear that PME is committed to preparing students for success in both academia and industry.”
Ellis, a student in the Bio- and Immunoengineering track, was one of the new quantum engineers, materials science researchers, immunoengineers and other young scientists, who recently joined PME, making the engineering school their new home away from home.
During Orientation Week, PME hosted a series of talks, social events, lab tours and even a campus-wide scavenger hunt to introduce the new Masters of Engineering students and PhD candidates to PME and the resources that will help built their careers.
“Orientation week is one of the most exciting times during the academic year, not just for the students but for the faculty as well,” Dean Nadya Mason said. “Our new students get to explore their new home and start to build the connections that will support them throughout their professional lives. We get to meet a new collection of brilliant minds and help them grow their insights, their innovations and their lives. These students come from around the world, from various backgrounds and fields of study, but they all have one thing in common: They chose the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering as the place from which they're going to change the world.”
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Brett Stachler, Associate Dean of Students, Recruitment and Admissions, briefs incoming class on UChicago campus resources during the PME Orientation Welcome. (Photo courtesy Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering)
Ellis called the week’s events “a low-stakes introduction” to PME.
“By the time I started classes, I already felt comfortable navigating the campus and had become familiar with many of my peers and administrators,” Ellis said.
Beyond labs and classrooms, orientation events also introduced the personal and professional resources that will provide support systems for the new students, many of whom come to study at PME from countries around the globe.
“I want to make sure our students know what options they have and that they are being heard,” Director of Academic Programs & EDI Tracy Walker told the assembled cohort. “So you will always be heard in my office. You will always be considered in my office.”
PhD candidate Nicholas Boynton was one of the current students who led lab tours for new peers by respective research tracks. He said walking the newest Materials for Sustainability students through the labs brought back memories of his first days.
“The most important lesson I learned as a new student was that PME is built on interdisciplinarity,” Boynton said. “Having the opportunity to constantly talk, learn, and conduct experiments next to people with very different backgrounds and areas of expertise allows PME researchers to tackle challenging, cross-cutting problems that face our world. Learning about how interdisciplinarity is woven into the culture of PME made me realize what a unique place it is."
That mindset was what drew Harsh Mishra, a new PhD candidate in the Cleland Lab, to PME.
“It's the interdisciplinary nature of PME and its strong collaboration with quantum industries that attracted me,” Mishra said. “I am looking forward to learning and developing my research skills in the field of superconducting qubits, as well as gaining industry-relevant communication skills.”
