LSAMP strengthens opportunities for students, faculty

In partnership with Georgia Research Alliance, more students across the state are able to pursue scientific research through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. An integral part of our recent story of how Black science majors succeed at UGA, resources that help students and faculty propel the university forward. Support networks for current students help the attract the next class of great students and create new opportunities to work with world-renowned faculty members in leading edge research.

Franklin alumna Shanise Walker came to the University of Georgia in 2008 with a passion for mathematics and an eagerness to explore all the educational opportunities she could find. A first-generation college student from Columbus, Walker was excited and more than a little nervous about making the transition to university life.

Today, she is an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she teaches courses, conducts original research and mentors students.

From her first days as a freshman to her current position as a tenure-track faculty member, Walker’s success required a lot of hard work and the guidance of many mentors, but she cites the support she received as an undergraduate from the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or LSAMP, as one of the most important influences in her career.

It was at an LSAMP conference where Walker learned about a summer research opportunity at Iowa State. She applied and was accepted.

“Two weeks into the summer research program I looked at my advisor and said, ‘I want to get a Ph.D. in mathematics,’” Walker said. “I never would have had that experience without LSAMP.”

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Image: Franklin alumna and University of Wisconsin assistant professor Shanise Walker, Ph.D.