Rice Welcomes Engineering Posse

Contact: Winston Derden
Phone: 831-4793

Rice Welcomes Engineering Posse

Rice University enrolled the nation’s first"engineering posse," a group of 10 minority students on full
scholarship, in classes this semester. The students are part of the
NACME/metaNetworks Engineering Posse Program and are all graduates
of New York City high schools.

The posse’s matriculation at Rice is part of a commitment by
university president Malcolm Gillis to the growth of talents among
culturally diverse students, especially in the sciences and in
engineering.

"This program exemplifies the type of resourceful commitment
that will be required to bring growing numbers of culturally diverse
students successfully into engineering before the 21st century,"
Gillis said in announcing Rice’s affiliation with the posse program
this April.

The posse students and their interests are
Name Interest
Norma Jean Autry business entrepreneurship in an engineering
area
Luciano Batista electrical and computer science
Mai Lan Bui environmental engineering
Christine Farrier genetic engineering and teaching at
graduate level
Gia Griffith biomedical engineering and computer science
Brandy Hays corporate executive in an engineering area
Thang Hoang science and engineering
Vadim Kazakevich mathematical research
Robert Washington engineering and art
Kimberly White electrical, civil or computer engineering

Rice University faculty and staff who are directly involved with
the posse program are
Michael Carroll, Burton J. and Ann M. McMurtry Professor in
Engineering and dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering;
Don Johnson, professor of electrical and computer engineering,
associate dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and
chair of faculty committee of mentors for posse students; and
Catherine Clack, director of Rice’s Office of Multicultural
Affairs.

Rice is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian private
university dedicated to undergraduate teaching and graduate studies,
research and professional training in selected disciplines. It has
an undergraduate student population of 2,674 and 1,449 graduate and
professional students.

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PHOTO ID:
Top row: Norma Jean Autry, Vadim Kazakevich, Brandy Hays, Christine
Farrier;
Bottom row: Thang Hoang, Gia Griffith, Mai Lan Bui, Luciano
Batista, Kimberly White, and Robert Washington.