Conclusion

The final event was held on March 18th, 2019 in Curl Viewpoint North. We had about 30 attendees; the majority of our participants were from ICE or STEM EE Scholars, but there were students who did not have a connection to either program. The evening began with guided questions from the information we had gathered before the event, an open question and answer session, a speed networking event, and a Chipotle dinner! The website with more information advertising the event can be found at: https://u.osu.edu/steminbusiness/.

This event will hopefully set the path for similar events to happen in the future. STEM EE Scholars has the opportunity as a young and diverse program to be flexible in its offerings to university students early on in their educational journey. Even though the majority of students involved in the program will go onto a STEM career with a heavy industry component (e.g. pharmaceuticals, engineering firms, technology companies, etc.), there is not a large amount of information available at a university level to facilitate the education that is necessary for students to gain knowledge about the industry side of their respective fields. As a Scholars program, we have the unique opportunity to enhance the educational component of the university experience to ensure well-rounded and successful students are leaving the university with the skill set to effectively and efficiently improve the world around them and give back to their community.

 

As a result of this program, an internal document will be made available to future student leaders of the program to replicate a similar event and provide guidance on how to shape Scholars programming that not only appeals to students, but will provide a valuable supplementary educational experience throughout their time in the program. Engaged students that are able to clearly see the value in their involvement in the program will guide its future.

Update 2

The second phase of this program was planning:

 

Following the ideation phase of this project, the planning stage was necessary to ensure a successful event. The planning of this event was led by a student team of six first-year scholars. Three of these were from ICE Scholars and the other three were from STEM EE Scholars. We met for a brief meeting to get to know one another, learn the objectives of the event, delegate tasks, and establish a timeline. Over the next several weeks, I had the opportunity to speak with each team member and figure out what they needed to succeed. This was an opportunity to not only learn how to shape this event in future years and advise future program leaders, but also to learn how to manage a group with diverse backgrounds and strengths from a distance.

 

On top of the logistical portion of the event, there were several other activities that needed to be coordinated. Among these was contacting and assisting speakers for this event. We had the opportunity to have Dr. Mitchell from Plant Pathology and Dr. Schulhaus from the TCO to speak at this event. Planning for the speakers involved pitching the event to them, sharing their role in the event, and developing questions that would be asked during the event. To accomplish this, we had to look into where current disconnects could be found in STEM and business and develop questions off of this information. This contributed to minimizing the work required for the speakers to prepare for the event and assisted with the tight timing of the event.

Update 1

These updates will be broken up into the two main sections that led up to the event: Ideation and Planning. These were two unique phases that led to the development of a successful event. This first update will focus on the ideation portion of this event.

 

The ideation phase coincided with items that I was beginning to notice as my academic interests were shifting. I entered school during my first year as a Molecular Genetics major pursuing a minor in Music. I aspired to attend graduate school to conduct research on crop genetics and how crops could be modified to fix some of today’s most pressing agricultural issues. I had the opportunity to study in a research lab for a year, where I was able to lead my own project as a second-semester freshman. As I progressed in my coursework, I began to realize that although I was very interested in the work that I was doing and the items I learning, it was not something that I wanted to pursue as a career.

 

I wanted to go enter a career in biotechnology initially, but I noticed that there was something missing in our coursework. Even though the majority of MolGen majors would eventually enter industry, there were no courses offered on the business side of science. In a career in the biotechnology industry, it is important to be familiar with both the technical side and the business side of the operation to ensure success. I also changed my minors to Business and Leadership. These courses would build business skills and leadership capabilities that I would not have had access to before.Throughout my business coursework, I noticed that even though the courses between STEM and business vary greatly, the students and faculty involved in each side have a lot to offer to those on the other side of the table.

 

I got in touch with the Fisher Leadership Initiative, a Fisher Department focusing on building leadership starting from undergraduate years to beyond, and they happily agreed to discuss this event. Kayla Ingram, the director of the program, helped more than I could have imagined. She shared her expertise on business topics and connected me to the right people to make this event happen. She put me in touch with Jake Cohen, the ICE Scholars program manager, and we had a discussion about how to make this event for both of our programs. The event gained even more clarity as an interdisciplinary student team was formed to plan the details of this event. The ideation phase took nearly four months to develop a solid plan, but it helped to set us up for success later on!

Capstone Planning

My capstone project began to take shape in October of 2018. I met with Kayla Ingram from the Fisher Leadership Initiative to pitch my idea to them and see how we could work together to make this event a reality. We were then able to develop a plan for this event together. Following our discussions, we got in touch with Jake Cohen from ICE Scholars. He assisted us with getting their leadership council involved with the planning process and passing the event information along to the students in the ICE Scholars program. Following this step, I put together a six-member leadership team. This consisted of three STEM Scholars and three ICE Scholars. All students on the team were first-year students on their leadership councils. Over the next several weeks, we worked to work from from the objectives of the event down to what food would be ordered. The plan to put around this event shaped around its goal; many disciplines needed to be brought together to create something larger than each individual unit combined.

Resume

My resume can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Djt9wumjOG4MBKGRMtg1OCCEgVT5vxpc/view?usp=sharing.

 

The most impactful experiences that I had while in the STEM EE Scholars program came from my leadership experience and networking. I had the opportunity to lead a dedicated team for a year-long term in for the 2018 Leadership Council. This was an invaluable experience that demonstrated where I am comfortable as a leader and areas that I still need to develop. One skill that I learned while in this role is the need to set clear expectations and goals for your team. I do this best through writing objectives and getting input from the entire group to steer us in the right direction. I began my leadership term by not properly delegating large tasks and by not setting clear expectations. This was made more difficult by not knowing my team personally before I began my term on the leadership council. I developed this as I went further along in my term and am still exploring and developing how to best set objectives and follow through on them by motivating a team.

Another skill that I have been able to develop through this program is how to effectively network to achieve my goals and help others reach theirs. This began with the interview project during my first year in the program. Through this interview, I was introduced to another professor who was working on research that was in my interest area. This opportunity allowed me to test out what it would be like to continue down this career path. I also learned how to network professionally in a formal setting with our LinkedIn workshop earlier this year.

2nd Year in Review

This program has had an immense impact on my personal, professional, and academic development in the two years that I have had the opportunity to be a part of it. I will break down each of these areas to share how I have changed with the assistance of this program.

STEM EE Scholars has had a large impact on me from an academic perspective. Coming out of high school, AP Biology was my favorite course and I wanted to pursue a career in life sciences because of this course. I was especially interested in genetics and Ohio State is one of only a handful of schools around the country that has a department that is dedicated to this rapidly-evolving and expanding area. My original major was Molecular Genetics with a minor in Music. I wanted to pursue a career in academic research with a focus on plant genetics. The STEM EE program allowed me to get involved with undergraduate research my second semester of college. This was only possible because of our first semester interview project and the gracious assistance of my mentor, Mikayla Bogan. Although I found the work to be fascinating, it was not meant for me to pursue as a full-time career. I discovered this towards the end of 2018.

Since then, I have changed my major to Health Sciences. This major much more closely reflects the career path that I would like to pursue following graduation and will provide me a substantially more relevant background for my intended career. I have also decided to not pursue a music minor and instead pursue minors in business and leadership, both through the Fisher College of Business. The STEM EE program has allowed for this type of flexibility just for this purpose. I was able to explore a career that I initially thought I wanted to pursue, decide that it was ultimately not the right path for me, and the program provided a platform that supports and encourages these types of changes.

I would argue that the largest impact this program had on me was not from an academic lens, but from a personal and professional development lens. Coming into college, I was “set” on what I wanted to do and had not considered other options. I was also a bit lost within the program and Ohio State initially. I had participated in the OWL program, which I enjoyed getting to welcome others to this incredible campus, but it did not provide a strong enough base for me to get to know everyone in the large program. It was not until second semester when I joined the leadership council that I felt I had found my place in the program. This opportunity allowed me to plan and shape events that I felt would strengthen and broaden the overall goals of the program. Our team’s development of the requirements, curriculum, and events would not have been possible without the significant support of each member on the team and the guidance of our program advisor.

I had the opportunity to lead the leadership council for a year-long term and plan over 30 events for 170+ STEM EE Scholars. This past semester, I have taken on the role of Leadership Council Consultant. This is a unique role that I am excited to be able to shape to the goals of our new leadership council. My role is to advise the new team based on my experience, as well as assist them with setting personal and organizational goals through individualized coaching sessions. Coming into college, I thought that leading student organizations was something that only much older students got to do. Scholars gave me the opportunity to have real impact on a program while developing my own leadership skills.

Coming into my second year, I had shifted what I wanted to pursue as a career. I wanted to go into consulting. This was/is an exciting field for me because I am given the opportunity to solve some of the most pressing challenges for large organizations with limited knowledge of the issue. This requires quick learning, adaptive thinking, and strategic leadership.

Resiliency is BY FAR the biggest item that I have learned since being at Ohio State. I applied for the Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club the first semester of my second year. This organization directly related to my career interests and would allow me to build skills that I could use in job interviews. I applied, moved to second round interviews, and was told that I would not be able to join that semester. Looking back, I was nowhere near prepared to join the organization that semester.

At this point, I was still a Molecular Genetics major and was still taking the courses for that major. I was taking Organic Chemistry Lab, Organic Chemistry Lecture, participating in concert band, pledging a fraternity, and running the leadership council all at the same time. This was a dangerous mix that led to me not doing as well as I would have hoped in my courses.

I refocused the next semester after changing my academic interests officially. I took a step back and looked at what would do me the most good, not what should I be taking because my curriculum guide says that I should. College is a time for personal and professional development more than anything; the academics are there to guide this. The next semester, I took what I called a “personal development” semester. I enrolled in five leadership courses and a course for my business minor. I also re-applied to the consulting club and was accepted to that following extensive interview preparation. I also made my student organization official and began the Buckeye Biotechnology Association.

This past semester has been the best semester of my time here yet. I have had the opportunity to define what I want to get out of being a student here, where I want to go, and what I need to do now to get there. This summer, I will have the opportunity to travel to Brazil with the assistance of the STEP program. I will also be taking an internship in Tel Aviv, Israel for two months.

In my next two years at Ohio State, I have several goals that I would like to accomplish. I would like to take on a leadership position in the Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club. I recently had the opportunity to attend a conference in Chicago with the organization and meet leaders from student consulting organizations from across the Midwest. At this retreat, we were able to exchange ideas with other organizations about how they recruit students and run projects.

Another goal that I have is to obtain an internship in consulting during the recruiting season in the fall for next summer. To prepare for this, I will need extensive preparation for case interviews, behavioral interviews, and network with industry professionals. The STEM Industry Interview assignment kickstarted my networking to get an internship. Through the STEM interview, I now have a firm connection to a major technology consulting organization. Over the next several months, it is my goal to have a firm connection to each company that I am looking to get an internship at next year.

I would like to continue my personal and professional development through courses at Ohio State, professional conferences, and exchanging ideas with industry professionals. This will give me a well-rounded approach to development that will hopefully set me up for success as I begin to search for careers following school.

Planning

The planning process of this project began back in October of last year. I was becoming more interested with how I could use my position on leadership council to promote collaboration across majors at Ohio State. The planning process started with an email to Kayla Ingram at the Fisher Leadership Initiative, an educational hub focused on building the leaders of tomorrow in and outside of the Fisher School of Business. I was able to stop into their office later that month and pitch the idea to the team at the office. We were able to brainstorm what the best way would be to approach this event. With the assistance of their office, I was also able to connect with the ICE Scholars program manager. With this collaboration between STEM Scholars, ICE Scholars, and the Fisher Leadership Initiative, we were able to put together a student team that would plan the event. This team consisted of half STEM Scholars and half ICE Scholars students on each of the current Leadership Councils for their respective organizations. Each team member was assigned a role and we went to work on planning the event!

Capstone Introduction

My capstone project is an event titled STEMming into Business and a framework built so that this event can be repeated and reshaped by future STEM EE Scholars Leadership Councils. This event began the planning and ideation process back in March. The event was completed in March and the framework was written in April. The goal of this event was to bring together STEM and business students to promote conversations of interdisciplinary collaboration outside of the classroom. This event would also introduce students to common networking practices and let them walk away with a few new familiars faces in an academic area outside of their own. It is my hope that the framework will set a precedent for the event and allow conversations like these to continue for years to come. This event would not have been possible without the student and faculty team behind it! I look forward to sharing the framework on this site once it has been finalized.

Professional Interview

I had the opportunity to get to know Nate from Accenture. I was able to connect with him through the Ohio State alumni network tool, AlumniFire. He is a management consulting analyst at Accenture in an east coast office. In his daily work, he assists with technology consulting in Accenture’s Health and Public Service practice. Following my time as a student at Ohio State, I am aiming to work in management consulting focused in healthcare. This career will allow me to build business skills that I may not necessarily learn in my major and will prepare me for a transition to healthcare administration if I decide to continue down that path.

Accenture is a large multinational public consulting organization that focuses on transformation of their clients through technology. They have hundreds of clients in the Fortune 500 and have practices in nearly every industry. They have a large healthcare practice that is active in both the payer and provider space. Although I am not familiar with the technical aspects of software implementation, I am very interested in how technology can be strategically used to improve margins for organizations and lead to a better process for the end user. Technology has already transformed the field of medicine through advancements such as electronic patients records but technology has so many more opportunities where it will make the experience easier and less time-consuming for the patient under the care of the organization.

 

During our initial call, I was able to share my academic interests and learn more about his path to Accenture. My favorite part of this interview was learning about the flexibility that Accenture offers due to their large size. He started off in the Columbus office after graduating from Ohio State, but now works at an East Coast office since his wife is attending medical school there. As she begins to search for residencies following the completion of medical school, he will have to consider where his job will lead them. Fortunately, Accenture recognizes his tenure and will allow him to move anywhere across the country due to the flexibility of the organization. I know that I want to live in Chicago following graduation, but it is a real possibility that I will have to move due to circumstances outside of my control. It would be reassuring to work for an organization that is both supportive and encouraging to work around situations that life may throw at you.

 

We have had the opportunity to speak on the phone several times since our first phone call. He was in town working on a project here (consultants often travel four days a week and return to work at home on Friday) and we were able to meet up and grab dinner at Canes! This interview project has made me realize the incredible opportunities that lie not only here at Ohio State on campus, but also in the connection that we have to the university with our alumni around the globe.

About Me – 2nd Year Update

My name is Ben Smith and I am a second year undergraduate student at the Columbus campus. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health and Rehabilitation and minors in Business and Leadership. Following graduation, I would like to pursue a career in management consulting focusing on healthcare. I would eventually like to return to school after several years to pursue a MBA and transition to healthcare administration.

 

This year, I have had the opportunity to pursue extensive leadership and academic enrichment activities. These include:

  • STEM EE Scholars
    • Executive Co-Chair
      • I had the opportunity to lead a nine-member leadership council to develop over 30 events for 170+ STEM EE Scholars. This was a year-long commitment that I finished at the end of autumn semester this academic year.
    • Leadership Council Consultant
      • I now advise the 11-member leadership council based on my experiences as Executive Co-Chair. I have held individual leadership coaching sessions to set personal and organizational goals with the new leadership council.
  • Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club
    • Business Analyst
    • Project Lead (March 2019)
  • Phi Sigma Kappa
    • Brother
      • I was an associated member last semester and initiated at the end of fall semester!
    • Appointed Community Service Chair at the end of the semester for Autumn 2019
  • Buckeye Biotechnology Association
    • Founder and President
      • I began a student organization to connect students across business, engineering, and life science disciplines around the field of biotechnology.
  • Undergraduate Research
    • Student Researcher
      • I did bioinformatics work for the Dr. Jason Slot in the Department of Plant Pathology.