Whitney Gaskins, Ph.D., has been honored with the Women of Color STEM Educational Leadership – College-Level Promotion of Education Award for her contribution to promoting education.
She works as an assistant dean at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science and is the first African-American female faculty member to hold this position.
Her main focus is on recruiting, supporting, and retaining marginalized and minority students within the College of Engineering.
She spearheads various outreach programs to introduce engineering concepts and careers to underrepresented middle and high school students, as well as supporting female, LGBTQ, veteran, and physically disabled students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Gaskins is also the principal investigator for the Choose Ohio First and Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation programs, which provide students with competitive scholarship funding and professional development workshops, helping them to succeed in STEM fields.
Anne Marie Kosi-Kupe is also a 2023 nominee for the Women of Color Educational Leadership –College-Level Promotion of Education Award.
Kosi-Kupe is a professor at University of Detroit Mercy with expertise in various fields including anatomy-physiology, microbiology, immunology-mycology-parasitology, nutrition, cell biology, and pathophysiology.
She has authored several publications and conducted several STEM-related research projects as PI (Principal Investigator. Kosi-Kupe has received two U.S. Patents (in 2019 and 2020) for her work on improving overall health.
She has dedicated hours of her time to teaching. Her clinical experience make her an outstanding research leader, including the Comparative Efficacy of Mun root extracts on fibroid cells in partnership with Bindley Bioscience Center/Purdue University.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Kosi-Kupe is committed to giving back to the community and has initiated four outreach projects to engage high school students of color from underserved communities, encouraging them to pursue STEM education at the college level.
She has invited local high school students to campus for presentations in the Detroit Mercy cadaver lab, encouraging them to share their experiences with monitoring their nutrition.
One student leader said the opportunity allowed high school students to learn about nutrition and college, inspiring them to attend university.
