This year marks the first ENGR010: Diversity Issues in Science, Engineering and Math (STEM) final paper contest. ENGR010 is the diversity course offered by the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS). The contest recognizes the best two papers written in fulfillment of the final reflection of the course. The 2009 winners are Christine M. LeFavour, CAS, first prize, and Kathleen M. Davies, CAS, second prize. The first prize winner will receive $150 and the second prize winner will receive $100.

Students from the last three semesters were invited to re-submit their papers for the 2009 contest. A committee of four — Professor Larry Shirland, BSAD, Professor James Iatridis, CEMS, Assistant Dean Dan Harvey, CEMS, and Instructor Josie B. Herrera, CEMS — judged the submitted papers.

The contest was conceived by Josie Herrera, the course designer and instructor, to encourage CEMS students to enroll in the course. ENGR010 is the first diversity course in the country designed specifically to address the issues of race and racism, sexism, white privilege, and classism in the STEM disciplines. The course fulfills UVM's newly created diversity requirement, which was approved by the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate and began to be implemented in the fall of 2008.

Students were judged on a rubric of four basic qualities: 40% honesty and insight, 30% logical development and structure, 20% documentation, and 10% grammar. All the papers submitted were very good and the committee had a difficult time choosing one student over another.