Winny Dong, a chemical and materials engineering professor and the faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Dong is one of 12 award individual recipients across the country that President Joe Biden named Wednesday to receive the nation’s highest honor for mathematics and science mentors. He recognized 117 awardees in total, which besides mentors also included STEM mentoring organizations and math and science teachers.
“I am deeply appreciative of the inspiration that America’s teachers and mentors provide every day to support the next generation of STEM professionals,” President Biden said. “The dedication these individuals and organizations have demonstrated to prepare students for careers in STEM fields, during what has been a difficult time for teachers, students, and families, plays a huge role in American innovation and competitiveness. The work that teachers and mentors do ensures that our nation’s children are able to unlock — for themselves and all of us — a world of possibilities.”
In her 21 years at Cal Poly Pomona, Dong has mentored more than 150 undergraduate STEM students — approximately 58 percent of whom are first-generation college students, more than 60 percent low-income and over 70 percent from underrepresented minority groups.
“The Presidential Award is a reflection of the care and dedication that my mentors have bestowed on me, and of the hard work and perseverance of the students with whom I have worked,” she said. “I am tremendously grateful for this recognition. This award motivates me to continue creating opportunities where all students can thrive and to create and grow mentoring programs both within and outside of my home institution.”
During her 20-year tenure at Cal Poly Pomona, Dong also has founded multiple programs on campus and beyond — serving more than 3,000 additional STEM students — with the mission to advance underrepresented minority students and faculty. Besides serving as the founder and faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), Dong also created the Research through Inclusive Opportunities and the Achieve Scholars programs, as well as the Project Hatchery.
Alumna Sophia Baroz (’21, sociology) said she benefited greatly from having Dong as a mentor as a student and now as the assistant program and event coordinator for OUR.
“Not only is Dr. Dong an amazing leader and mentor, but the work she does for our office and the entire research community is unbelievably inspiring and extraordinary,” Baroz said. “I am beyond blessed to have been under her wing as a student, and now as a staff member.”
Olukemi Sawyerr, associate vice president in the Office of Academic Innovation, has collaborated with Dong on multiple programs and projects and lauded her efforts to maximize every student’s potential and promise.
“I have yet to meet someone as dedicated to the success of Cal Poly Pomona students as Dr. Dong,” Sawyerr said. “She is governed by a selfless desire to ensure that every Cal Poly Pomona student reaches their full potential and has devoted her 20-year career to creating multiple innovative opportunities to achieve this goal. Her work has changed mentoring at the institution; she has created a successful self-perpetuating mentoring ecosystem inclusive of students, faculty, staff, and external and internal stakeholders.”
Other programs Dong created or helped establish include Entrepreneurship in STEAM, the Learn Through Discovery Initiative and Women in Engineering. Dong also is the former director of the McNair Scholars Program. She leads multiple research conferences for Southern California students and has forged partnerships with other universities and community colleges to increase research opportunities for both students and faculty, including international opportunities.
The university recognized Dong’s commitment to ensuring students and faculty have pathways to success and more equitable access to opportunity in awarding her the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Service in 2015, the university’s highest honor for service.
University President Soraya M. Coley celebrated Dong’s honor and her dedication to student success.
“We are very proud that Dr. Dong has received this national recognition for her work in STEM,” Coley said. “She has a strong personal conviction to inspire and help students reach their academic potential that is evident in the programs she has created and championed. That, along with her commitment to making sure underrepresented students have access to research and mentorship opportunities, uplifts both Cal Poly Pomona and STEM education as a whole.”