Female First-Year STEM Students Meet Industry Pioneers

Fifteen female first-year students from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science met with leaders from seven industry-leading companies in January 2023 as part of the school’s nationally recognized efforts to increase diversity in STEM fields.

The company visits are part of the DeMatteis School’s W-SPiCE (Women’s Summer Program in Computing/Engineering) program, which helps connect young women, who are in their first year as computer science and engineering students, with female professionals in the related fields. Students hear directly from women who began their careers when there were even fewer females in the tech field.

“We know that women are underrepresented in the STEM workforce,” said Professor Philip Coniglio, director of the W-SPiCE program. “We want our students to see successful women in technology and engineering, so they can more clearly see a viable path for their future.”

The DeMatteis School has previously been recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with the organization’s bronze award for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“The thing that inspired me the most was the amount of Latina engineers and leaders we got to meet. Growing up in a predominantly first-generation Hispanic community, I rarely saw Latinas pursuing college careers –especially not in STEM – and oftentimes the lack of representation felt discouraging,” said Zaira Garcia, a computer science major from Queens, New York. “However, meeting and speaking to women who looked like me, and came from similar backgrounds as me, was truly inspiring and gave me the courage to continue pursuing my career in STEM.”

After these initial January field trips, students spend five-weeks over the summer in an on-campus intensive program, collaborating with the corporate partners spanning various industries.

“We want our students to see successful women in technology and engineering, so they can more clearly see a viable path for their future.”

This year’s diverse group of corporate partners included: Iovino Enterprises (construction); Carter, Deluca & Farrell LLP (patent law); American Express (finance); Cameron Engineering (mechanical, electrical, plumbingconsulting); National Grid (power utility); Walden & Associates (environmental engineering); and Dealertrack – Cox Auto Group (software).

Among the themes of the January meetings were continuous learning and trying new things until you discover your passion. The corporate leaders shared their career paths, reflected on having few, if any, women among their colleagues, and offered advice on how to persevere.

“Know where your passion is and just keep going,” said Irene Shih, software engineer at Dealertrack. “You are definitely in the right field. Every industry needs engineering.”

“This was a great opportunity not only to learn about different companies but also practice communication skills in an environment full of smart, intellectual, and successful people,” said Gisela Luna Reyes, a civil engineering major from Oxon Hill, Maryland. “This experience allowed me to decide my discipline under civil engineering, which will be construction.”

The W-SPiCE 5-week summer program will be held on campus May 30 to June 30, 2023. Students who complete the entire program will receive a $2,500 stipend.

Stan Goldstein joined the Hofstra faculty in 1954 as one of five engineering instructors. The curriculum at that time consisted of only several drafting and mechanical engineering classes.

During his many decades at Hofstra, Dr. Goldstein saw incredible growth of the department, including the addition of evening bachelor of science degree programs in engineering science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. In the 1960s and 1970s, many students were part-time, balancing coursework with full-time jobs at Grumman or Sperry, and he created pathways for these students to complete their degrees entirely through taking evening classes. Dr. Goldstein was known to be a meticulous and keen instructor in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, and a mentor to students. He served twice as department chair before stepping back from full-time teaching in 1983. Dr. Goldstein also served stints in both the HCLAS Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office, reflective of his administrative and managerial skills. The love of teaching never left him, and he continued to teach for the physics department for years before fully retiring from Hofstra in 2001. Dr. Goldstein was living in upstate New York at his passing on December 18, 2022, just two months short of his 100th birthday.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Goldstein joined the Air Force in 1942 and served as a navigator on 30 bombing missions during World War II. After the war, he and his wife Wanda (who predeceased him in 2017 after 69 years of marriage) became active in the peace movement, and he wrote against the indiscriminate bombing of civilians as a military tactic. Dr. Goldstein attended the University of Oklahoma on the GI Bill, and ultimately received his PhD from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.

During his years at Hofstra, Dr. Goldstein also helped organize chapters of the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. In 1980, Hofstra honored him with the Dean’s Award of Excellence, and today there is a commemorative brick in his name at the Hofstra Walk of Pride.

Ron Alvarez started teaching at Hofstra in 1962 after working four years at the Boeing Company. He had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Manhattan College, and obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from New York University in 1967. At Hofstra, Dr. Alvarez taught statics, dynamics, strength of materials, and structural analysis and design for more than 50 years on a rigorously adhered to Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule before retiring in 2014. He served as a consultant to numerous companies and government agencies. Dr. Alvarez also directed a very successful review course through Continuing Education for individuals seeking licensure as professional engineers (P.E.). Hence, there are generations of Long Island engineers who benefitted from his rigorous instruction even though they were not Hofstra students, but who encountered him through those Saturday PE review classes.

Dr. Alvarez and his wife Elaine were prodigious world travelers, having visited almost every country on every continent over the years.

Despite being known as the “boot camp drill sergeant” of learning, Dr. Alvarez was well admired by his students. One of his students, Don Eberhard, Class of ’72, said upon Dr. Alvarez’s passing, “I know that some day when I rise to those ‘pearly gates’ in Heaven, they will be structurally sound, dynamically balanced, and well lubricated – thanks to Dr. Alvarez’s engineering talents.”

He was 87 and resided at his home in Glen Cove, New York, at the time of his death on September 27, 2022. Today, there is a Dr. Ronald J. Alvarez, P.E. Civil Engineering Endowed Scholarship in his honor.