Welcome, friends!

By now, most of you have probably perused my site to learn a bit about me. But for those of you who couldn’t be bothered with clicking through, here’s a mini introduction. Hi, I’m Dr. Jeremy Waisome. I’m a Lecturer at the University of FLorida and I also serve as Special Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School in the Division of Graduate Student Affairs. I am Black, female, a wife, mom, dog mom, a singer, podcaster, Jesus follower, and an engineer, among many other things. On this blog I hope to share my story with you, which will relate to the many dimensions of who I am. So, let’s get started…

Why Engineering?

I’ve always loved math and science. Interestingly enough, I was my parents’ creative child. I love singing, dancing, artwork, crafting, playing the violin… Anything performance/creative arts related, I was drawn towards. And I had the talent (naturally and with training) to pursue a career in singing but opted to pursue engineering instead. Why? Because of the challenge!

I fell in love with the world of engineering in middle school while standing inside of a nuclear reactor facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratories during a summer camp. There was this brilliant black chemical engineer running the facility at that time. I was in awe of her, the facility, and what engineering could do. From that day forward, I knew I was meant to be an engineer.

I went to a STEM magnet high school, and then to the University of Florida (UF). I was a member of the STEPUP and PAACT programs. I led a number of student organizations, and participated in undergraduate research and fell in love with that. After overcoming some health challenges and graduating with my Bachelor’s degree, I decided to stay in school (for what seemed like forever) until I received my PhD in civil engineering. And it was during my graduate school journey that I was introduced to the field of engineering education and realized that it was my true passion.

What’s Next?

On May 15, 2020 I became a Lecturer in the Engineering Education Department at UF. One of my primary responsibilities is to help our department develop a new undergraduate certificate program that supports UF’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative to introduce students from disciplines across campus to AI. This is an exciting endeavor, and I get to partner with faculty, administration, and industry professionals, to support this monumental initiative. Plus, I *finally* get the chance to teach! To learn more about the courses I teach, visit the Teaching page. And I’m actively involved in several research projects that you can read more about on the Projects page.

So far, Academic life has been an incredible, challenging, and motivating journey. I cannot wait to share my experience so far, and the things to come with each of you!