Dr. Ferron is an active supporter of outreach activities geared towards encouraging K-12 students to go to college, promoting engineering as a career choice, and increasing the representation of historically marginalized groups in engineering and academia. Below is a list of some of Dr. Ferron’s most recent involvement:
- Co-Chair of the Cockrell School of Engineering (CSE) Underrepresented Minority Students Action Committee: In this role, Dr. Ferron lead the task force that developed CSE’s first Diversity Action Plan.
- Faculty advisor for Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWise): BWise is a student organization at UT Austin for women in the School of Engineering as well as the College of Natural Sciences. Dr. Ferron lead a BWise session on natural hair in professional settings and how to stay true to oneself.
- Participant in Longhorn Summer Experience: Longhorn Summer Experience is a partnered event between UT’s Admissions Office and the UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement that reaches out to promising African-American high school students and their parents across Texas. Dr. Ferron was the only engineering faculty representative present, and thus parents of students interested in majoring in engineering (~20% of the attendees) gravitated to me to ask questions about engineering at UT.
- Participant in Explore UT: Every year UT Austin opens its door to the community to hosts its Explore UT Program. This event is the “Biggest Open House in Texas” and is an annual event that is held every March. During Explore UT the public gets a glimpse into life at UT Austin by participating in various lectures, activities, tours, and exhibits. This is a free event, and all are invited to attend. Dr. Ferron has assisted in a demo called “Concrete’s Last Stand” in which participants learn about the world’s most widely used building material. More information on Explore UT can be found at this webpage: http://www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut/
- Discover Engineering: Dr. Ferron led a hands-on interactive demo for students at Laurel Mountain Elementary School as part of the Central Texas’s Discover Engineering Program. Discover Engineering is a program whose mission is to help K-12 school children to pursue careers in math, science and engineering. More information about Discover Engineering can be found at this webpage: http://www.centexeweek.org
- A Career in Academia: This is an event sponsored by UT’s Equal Opportunity in Engineering (EOE) Program and provided undergraduate students with an opportunity to talk with Dr. Ferron about what it is like to be a professor. More information about the EOE program can be found at this webpage: http://www.engr.utexas.edu/eoe
- Lunch with an Engineer: Lunch with an engineer is an event sponsored by UT’s Women in Engineering Program and provides high school students with an opportunity to talk with Dr. Ferron about what it is like to be an engineer. (WEP) More information about the WEP program can be found at this webpage: http://www.engr.utexas.edu/wep/
- Negotiating Salaries Seminar: Sponsored by Cockrell School of Engineering and UT Graduate Engineering Council, this event is geared toward senior graduate students and post-docs. For the past three years, Dr. Ferron has presented on effective ways to negotiate a faculty offer. Click this link for a pdf of the presentation: Click Here
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated Delta GEMS Program: Dr. Ferron served as the co-chair of Austin Alumnae Chapter’s Delta GEMS program. The goal of the DELTA GEMS is to provide young ladies (ages 14 -18) with a structural program that will enhance their self-esteem, academic achievement, leadership skills, and cultural awareness. This is accomplished through a series of monthly workshops.