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Opening Doors to Opportunities

The Roux Institute at Northeastern University holds an exclusive open house for Mitchell Scholars with offers of generous grad-school scholarships

By Mitchell Institute

February 28^th, 2023

In early February, The Roux Institute at Northeastern University — Portland’s newest graduate education, research, and innovation campus — welcomed Mitchell Scholars to its Fore Street headquarters for an exclusive open house.

Nearly 50 Scholars and members of the Mitchell Institute community — some hailing from as far away as Fort Fairfield, Maine — learned about programs focusing on AI, computer and data sciences, digital engineering, and the advanced life sciences and medicine at the Roux Institute, which was launched in 2020 with a $100 million gift from David and Barbara Roux and later received a second $100 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation.

Mitchell Scholars met with faculty and students, heard from senior administrators, and toured the Roux Institute’s gleaming, tech-filled learning spaces overlooking Casco Bay. They also heard about one of the best deals going for graduate study in Maine: With support from the Alfond Scholars Initiative, the Roux Institute is offering Mitchell Scholars a minimum $25,000 scholarship for starting master’s programs in Analytics, Applied Machine Intelligence, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Data Science, and Project Management.

And Mitchell Scholars learned they are eligible for more than twice that in scholarship funding if they complete one of Northeastern’s Align programs, designed for students without tech backgrounds.

The Roux Institute at Northeastern University is already in his grad-school sights

Jean-Daniel Liwanga (pictured above), the 2020 Mitchell Scholar from Baxter Academy for Technology and Science and junior Computer Science major at the University of Southern Maine, attended the open house with plans to pursue a Northeastern University master’s in Computer Science at the Roux Institute. He said his sights originally “were set on Boston or the Bay Area,” for graduate study. “But now I want to go to the Roux. I want to stay in Maine and grow my career and network here.”

In addition to learning close to home and adding to Maine’s human capital, a big draw for Liwanga is the Roux Institute's rapidly growing partnerships with the state’s leading tech-based companies.

“Oftentimes I hear that if you want to advance in your academic journey, you have to go somewhere out of Maine and to schools like Harvard, MIT, or Stanford. And for a while, I believed that going out of state would be a better bet for my educational development,” Liwanga said. “But when the Roux Institute arrived, something changed. You now have an established and respected institution, with a deep understanding of technology, an array of connections, and a mission to change Maine's status to a pioneer in technology innovations. It's no surprise they quickly connected with some of the most exciting companies such as MedRythms [co-founded by 2007 Mitchell Scholar Brian Harris], Buoy, WEX, IDEXX, Unum, Jackson Lab, Tilson, and others. This partnership between the Mitchell Institute and the Roux Institute at Northeastern is very exciting, and I want to be fully part of it.”

A veteran educator spies a professional development opportunity at the Roux Institute

Sarah McKeown (pictured above), the 2008 Mitchell Scholar from Leavitt Area High School, University of Maine at Farmington graduate, and mathematics teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School, specializes in teaching AP Calculus and a dual enrollment course in Quantitative Reasoning through the school's partnership with Southern Maine Community College. She came to explore professional development opportunities and ways the Roux's offerings can help her bring mathematics to life for her students.

"As a math teacher, I am always striving to make my content more relatable for the young adults I work with," said McKeown, who is in her 11th year of teaching. "Because of this, the Roux program in Analytics really intrigues me as a way to gain knowledge about the tangible uses of mathematics to solve problems in modern industries."

"I have heard the Roux Institute's name on Maine Public (radio), but I never knew what it was founded on or the scope of what it can offer to Maine," she continued. "Without this networking opportunity from the Mitchell Institute, this incredible resource might have gone under my radar."

Already on his way at the Roux Institute, a Mitchell Scholar sings the Northeastern University program's praises

Justin Ehringhaus (pictured above), the 2012 Mitchell Scholar from Casco Bay High School who majored in Asian Studies and Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College, was one of four graduate students who spoke with Scholars about their experience at the Roux Institute. Ehringhaus is pursuing a master’s with a concentration in Applied Machine Technology while working as a data operations and strategy specialist for a neuropsychological practice. He said the classes he has taken so far at the Roux Institute have heightened his ability to use and leverage data at work.

“The curriculum seamlessly integrates with my role, where I consistently find opportunities to apply what I am learning in school to real-world problems,” he said. “On a weekly basis, I am discovering new ways to streamline processes and make them more efficient and impactful through the application of concepts learned in the classroom. Our team at work has exciting initiatives planned that will require a deep understanding of advanced data analysis and strategic thinking, and I feel well-equipped to contribute to their success thanks to my education at the Roux.”

As for what he likes most about the program, Ehringhaus told the gathering of Mitchell Scholars that it aligns with his goal of connecting people, technologies, and operations.

“I appreciate the curriculum, which is comprehensive, hands-on, and emphasizes real-world applications by revisiting topics from different perspectives,” Ehringhaus said.

Cash: The open house is one more way Scholars receive #morethanascholarship

Jared Cash (pictured above), President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute, said this first-of-its-kind graduate-study open house for Mitchell Scholars is one more way that the Institute provides Scholars with more than a scholarship — and the state with a skilled workforce.

“Strengthening the state’s economy has always been part of the Senator’s vision for the Mitchell Scholarship program. We know that providing young people with educational opportunities at home, the financial support they need to complete their degrees, and opportunities to move from theory to practice through internships and co-ops are vital to seeing Maine students put their degrees to work in their home state,” Cash said. “This partnership between the Mitchell Institute and the Roux Institute is a model for how we can continue to support bright, hard-working young people and keep them learning and working in Maine.”