5,000+

Name: Natasha Cover, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2006-2011
Date of Graduation: May 2012 (Biomedical Engineering)
Current Status: Research Scientist, Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
Personal Statement: “The NSF FGLSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate program gave me access to an
amazing group of individuals who are more like family rather than friends or professional colleagues.”
Name: Issa Ramirez, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2006-2012
Date of Graduation: May 2012 (Mechanical Engineering)
Current Status: Research Engineer, Pratt & Whitney, Inc.
Personal Statement: “I would never have been able to gain admission to a doctoral program or
complete my degree without the support received from the NSF Bridge to the Doctorate. BD gave me
the encouragement to intern with NASA, present my research at conferences, and interact with industry
professionals. The guidance that I received was truly life-altering.”
Name: Dayna Martinez-Torres, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2006-2012
Date of Graduation: May 2012 (Industrial and Management Systems Engineering)
Current Status: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Veterans Engineering Resource Center (VERC),
Tampa,
Personal Statement: “The NSF FGLSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate program gave me countless
opportunities to work alongside individuals from diverse backgrounds. The program opened many
doors for me, and helped define my goals to pursue an academic career while doing research of
national importance. My dream is to help Hispanic/Latino women succeed in science and engineering
careers, and the USF BD program has prepared me to do so.”
Name: Ophir Ortiz, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2005-2010
Date of Graduation: August 2010 (Electrical Engineering)
Current Status: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rutgers University (New Jersey Center of
Biomaterials)
Personal Statement: “It was a long road, but the FLSAMP program helped me every step of the way,
including the identification of my postdoctoral position at the New Jersey Center of Biomaterials.”
Name: Andrea Rocha, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2006- 2011
Date of Graduation: August 2011 (Engineering Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Current Status: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of South Florida
Personal Statement: “Through my participation in the University of South Florida’s FGLSAMP BD
program, I have been privileged to take part in a number of educational and career building
opportunities. Unquestionably, one of my best experiences throughout my doctoral program was the
daily interactions with other Bridge to the Doctorate students. The support and encouragement of my
fellows peers in the program has helped me maintain momentum to continually move forward.”
Name: Erick Maxwell., Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2004-2007
Date of Graduation: December 2007 (Electrical Engineering)
Current Status: Senior Research Engineer, Georgia Research Institute of Technology (GRIT)
Personal Statement: “At the University of South Florida (USF), I was surrounded by a diverse crosssection
of faculty, staff, and peers who were genuinely interested in my success as a student. These
supporters served both officially and unofficially as my mentors, advisors, and instructors.
Collectively, my experience at USF through the NSF funded LSAMP and other programs, was one
which provided not only the education for equipping me to make a technical contribution in my field,
but also opportunities to use that education to successfully engage the community at large.”
Name: Deidra Hodges, Ph.D.
Period of Participation: 2005-2009
Date of Graduation: December 2010 (Electrical Engineering)
Current Status: Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering, Division of Engineering,
Southern Polytechnic State University
Personal Statement: “I want to thank the NSF LSAMP program for all the help and guidance accorded
me throughout my Ph.D. program at the University of South Florida. It was quite a tremendous
experience and even though my life will progress somewhere else, I’ll always keep in touch, and hope
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