Caroline L. Schauer, PhD, inaugural Margaret C. Burns Chair in Engineering, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering, and Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, was selected as a 2022 Outstanding STAR Mentor. The STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) program is an opportunity for first-year students to conduct undergraduate research or engage in a creative experience in the summer between their first and second years.
Schauer mentored Alessandra Cabrera, Eli Werbach, and Conway Zheng. The STAR scholars and their mentor spent the summer working with polymers. The students had some doubts about their future before entering this program, but now, Werbach is confident and will continue in polymer research.
“One of the first things that Dr. Schauer said in a Zoom meeting was the emphasis that she puts on creating a family in the lab group,” Zheng said. “Dr. Schauer is research-oriented and driven, which gives our lab the ability to put out so many papers, but at the same time, she wants to create a hospitable environment for her researchers.”
Noted Werbach, “She went above and beyond to connect with her students.”
Pennoni Honors College awarded Schauer $1000 along with her Outstanding STAR Mentor Faculty Award. The award recognizes Drexel faculty for exceptional contributions to undergraduate students in the STAR Scholars program.