Office of Public Engagement

The inaugural University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MSI Alliance Summer Explorations Program was held at the Illini Union on the Illinois campus on July 22-23, 2022. Invited participants included one administrator, one faculty member, and two to three undergraduate students from various MSIs across the country.

The program consisted of keynote presentations, Illinois research center and institute presentations, MSI administrator/faculty and student presentations, and breakout sessions based on participant group. Throughout the program, the discussion was directed towards key themes of mutually beneficial partnerships and student engagement.

Many ideas and exciting discussions emerged during the program that reflect the intentions of the Illinois MSI Alliance to promote diversity, access, and inclusion with a focus on graduate education across a wide variety of academic disciplines, along with some additional reflections on key themes and future implications.

The Illinois MSI Alliance plans to sponsor similar listening sessions hosted on our campus and at partnering MSI locations.

A report summarizing the event and outcomes can be found here.

Fourteen students from across the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MSI Alliance partner institutions participated in the Illinois MSI Alliance Spring Student Forum held on Friday, February 17, 2023 to build on conversations held during the July 2022 Illinois MSI Alliance Explorations Program. Dr. Wanda Ward, Executive Associate Chancellor for Public Engagement kicked off the virtual program by discussing the objectives of the Illinois MSI Alliance, including increasing the number of underrepresented students pursuing and obtaining doctoral degrees leading to successful careers in academia and beyond, and the long-term commitment the Office of Public Engagement has in meeting these goals. She also discussed the upcoming Illinois MSI Alliance Student Summer Research Experience, which will hold its inaugural program during summer 2023.

A morning roundtable, led by Illinois MSI Alliance Co-Chair, Dr. Lynford Goddard, Director of the Grainger College of Engineering Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA), provided an opportunity to hear directly from the students and engage in their specific research interest. Students actively participated and provided feedback on what they hoped to benefit from the Illinois MSI Alliance such as opportunities for large-scale interdisciplinary research projects as well as possible leadership- and network-building activities. Dr. Goddard, along with the other two Illinois MSI Alliance Co-Chairs, Dr. Antoinette Burton and Dr. Gene Robison gave examples of programs their research institutes have in place that address some of these opportunities:

• Dr. Burton discussed the Humanities Research Institute’s (HRI) program Humanities Without Walls, and how the current graduate students in the program echo the calls for experiences that will bring students from diverse backgrounds together.
• Dr. Robinson explained that the University of Illinois has set up their research institutes to broaden participation across disciplines. He described the research institutes as connective tissue to build relationships throughout the university colleges and departments. For example, the Institute of Genomic Biology (IGB) is the intersection of biology, engineering and some social sciences that work together on several grand challenges. IGB students and faculty are offered opportunities for professional development. One example is the IGB Random Coffee Talks where faculty are paired up to discuss a research idea for 45 minutes – sometimes some interesting ideas come of these sessions.
• Dr. Goddard reflected on programs offered at the IDEA Institute in the Grainger College of Engineering that might be of interest to the MSI students. The mission of the IDEA Institute is to support scholarship, innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the areas of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access at all levels. One of the Institute’s projects include the Grassroots Initiatives to Address Needs Together (GIANT). Some of the topics addressed by GIANT are mentoring, graduate programs for women, and the addition of engineering terms in sign language. Another initiative, the IDEA Allies encourages students to work together to problem solve.

The afternoon session was an interactive workshop entitled, “Imagine You,” led by Dr. Victor McCrary, Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemistry at the University of the District of Columbia and Vice Chair of the National Science Board. Dr. McCrary continued his dialog with the students from his 2022 Illinois MSI Alliance Summer Explorations Program keynote address on the importance of diversity in research across all fields of study. Dr. McCrary’s goal of the workshop was to help students understand their value proposition and offered tips on utilizing innovative prospects to gain the skills needed such as business knowledge, project management, cost estimation, and organizational design to be competitive in today’s job market. Some of Dr. McCrary’s interesting insights from a University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business course entitled: Playing the Game included:

• You must initiate and maintain network connections and those networks should lead to the outcomes you would like.
• You should always carry a business card because you never know who you are going to meet. Serendipity is a real thing. Don’t waste interactions with people.
• A mentor is someone who advises you, but a sponsor is someone in the room who will stand up for you.
• The game is rigged against people of color, don’t be a victim.
• Be sure to take courses outside your major field of study.
• Have a good network of people that have skillsets you don’t – you should be able to pick up the phone and find help on things you don’t know.

Dr. McCrary closed by stating, “It doesn’t matter what you look like when the temperature rises – we will need all hands-on deck to address the climate crisis and other expanded spaces that will present future challenges.”

The Illinois MSI Alliance proudly launched its inaugural Student Summer Research Experience, welcoming 16 high-achieving undergraduates from five Minority-Serving Institutions to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This immersive summer program paired students with 12 dedicated faculty mentors on 14 diverse research projects across four academic labs.

Designed to foster research excellence and promote pathways to graduate education, the program offered a robust schedule of hands-on research, interdisciplinary seminars, and professional development workshops. Students received full support—including stipends, housing, meals, and travel expenses—allowing them to fully engage in the academic and social experience.

Participants gained a competitive edge through graduate admissions guidance, research presentations, and rich mentoring relationships, all while strengthening ties between partner institutions. The program stands as a dynamic model for collaboration, equity, and innovation in higher education.

Read more about the Illinois MSI Alliance 2023 Student Summer Research Experience 2023 Program Report.

In summer 2024, the Illinois MSI Alliance successfully hosted its second annual Student Summer Research Experience, welcoming 28 undergraduate students from 6 Minority-Serving Institutions to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Students were paired with 21 faculty mentors to collaborate on 27 research projects across 7 research institutions, engaging deeply with faculty-led scholarship and research culture.

The program was designed to promote diversity and inclusion in graduate education, with a strong focus on preparing students from historically underrepresented backgrounds for doctoral studies in STEM and related fields. Over the course of the program, participants gained hands-on research experience, attended graduate preparation workshops, and presented their work at a culminating symposium.

The 2024 cohort benefited from full support—including housing, meals, stipends, and travel—and left with strengthened academic skills, expanded professional networks, and a clearer path toward graduate study. The program continues to serve as a model for institutional partnership and inclusive excellence in research education.

A report summarizing the event and outcomes can be found here.

The AREES (Alliance for Research Enterprise Excellence in STEM) proudly launched its Summer 2025 Research Experience with record momentum, marking a significant evolution in scale, vision, and identity. This summer, 44 undergraduate students from six Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for a transformative research and professional development journey—more than double the number of students from the program’s inaugural year in 2023.

Building on two years of steady growth and deepening institutional collaboration, 2025 also celebrates the official launch of the AREES name and expanded mission. This rebranding reflects a future-focused commitment to cultivating a highly skilled, diverse STEM and STEH/AM workforce prepared to lead in academia, industry, and government. The program’s growth is evident not only in student participation, but also in research scope: students are now engaging in projects across 13 research centers and colleges, guided by a growing roster of faculty mentors dedicated to developing the next generation of innovators.

Throughout orientation week, students settled into campus life, participated in community-building and professional development activities, and began forming relationships with mentors and peers. With a strong foundation in place and a bold mission guiding the work, the AREES Student Summer Research Experience continues to model what intentional, access-oriented partnership and talent development can achieve on a national scale.

Read more about the kickoff of the 2025 Student Summer Research Experience.