Spring 2019 ADSE Events
Spring has been a busy time for our ADSE chapters!
Read below to find out about their great work!
Getting to Know You
In January, we welcomed our newest chapter located at the University of Rochester! This chapter was host to many, many events this Spring but their inaugural one was a Meet and Greet held in March. Setting the tone for the fun, inclusive, and empowering community the students of ADSE@Rochester are building on their campus, this event served up "good food and beats" to a high energy crowd of attendees. If the other events this chapter hosted and participated in throughout the semester (see below) are any indication, we expect great things to come well into the future! Great start and keep up the good work, UR!
Diversity Seminar Series Continue Strong
This semester many chapters have continued to host seminars as part of their Diversity in STEM seminar series. This series, common to all ADSE chapters, is intended to encourage invited speakers to discuss not only their academic research but their life and career experiences as well.
University of Colorado hosted University of Maryland, College Park Professor and ADSE Board of Directors member Osvaldo Gutierrez to discuss his experience and pathway to academia as well as his research projects.
Northeastern University hosted Boston College Professor Abhishek Chatterjee to kick off their impressive run of Spring events. Professor Chatterjee gave two seminars, one on his current research pursuits and one titled "Behind the CV diversity talk".
University of Rochester hosted their first Diversity in STEM seminar with invited speaker Professor Rigoberto Hernandez of Johns Hopkins University. Professor Hernandez also delivered two seminars, one science talk titled "Benign by Design: from the Nanoscale to Human Scale" and a diversity lecture titled "Advancing Chemistry Through Diversity". As evidenced by the many photos and Twitter testimonials posted throughout Professor Hernandez's visit, this event was exciting and meaningful for all involved. Great first seminar, UR!
Advocating for Science
University of Maryland and Northeastern University participated in two events this semester that displayed positive advocacy for science.
The UMD chapter advertised an open invitation for any of their Twitter followers to attend the Annual March for Science with them at the National Mall in DC. In it's third year, the March for Science and the events surrounding it have had a positive impact on the general public's interaction with science and scientists. Hosting open gatherings such as a "march together" event is a great way to get everyone interested in science advocacy.
NEU co-hosted a large Earth Day event on their campus comprised of three short talks and a panel discussion on pressing issues facing the environment and possible solutions. Earth Day is an especially pertinent day to host educational campus events such as this one to create a stage for both STEM- and non-STEM majors alike to learn about the effects and potential scientific solutions for climate change.
In Our Own Words: Meaningful Discussions Abound
This semester, many chapters have participated in or hosted events that have spoken to personal experiences in STEM. From traversing the highs and lows of graduate school to navigating the STEM fields as an underrepresented minority, these events resonate with the mission of ADSE- that only through sharing our experiences and connecting across disciplines can we build a more inclusive STEM community.
The University of Rochester chapter was featured on an episode of radio station WXXI's show Connections with Evan Dawson to discuss ADSE's mission and purpose in the context of the current state of diversity and inclusion in STEM. The episode titled "Connections: How to address racial disparities in STEM majors and professions" features Anthony Plonczynski-Figueroa, faculty adviser of the chapter, Antonio Tinoco Valencia, President of the chapter, Shukree Abdul-Rashed, Vice President, and Marian Ackun-Farmmer, Social Relations Chair. Throughout the episode Antonio, Shukree, and Marian discuss their experiences in STEM, decisions to pursue doctorates, and the importance of having underrepresented mentors. An extremely personal and enlightening episode, peppered with a short history lesson from a call in listener, the UR chapter did a fantastic job of putting their stories out there and representing the ADSE community. A highly recommended listen!
Following up from their radio feature, the UR chapter also participated in the Annual Diversity and Inclusion Poster Session at the UR Medical Center. Their poster, "Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering: Starting a New Chapter at the University of Rochester" was another good way to spread the word about ADSE and inform potentially interested students and faculty about their presence on campus. Overall, great first semester UR! Keep up the good work!
Northeastern University co-hosted an event with many other graduate groups from NEU titled "Power in the Lab: An open discussion on power dynamics by and for grads only". The challenges that face graduate students are universal and an important topic of discussion. Also, learning how to address issues such as power dynamics, micro-aggressions, or pay equity at the graduate level is good training for future professional settings.
Former President of the University of Maryland chapter and current VP of Outreach for the national board, Alessandra Zimmermann gave a talk at her home institution about her graduate school experience and how her work with ADSE was beneficial to achieving a balanced graduate career. Taking time for productive extra curricular activities or passions is definitely vital for a healthy work-life balance. Keeping in mind the bigger picture, that graduate school is but one period in our career timeline, warrants reminding from time to time. We applaud Alessandra for being so open with her experience. As evidenced by attendee's testimonials it sounds like it was a great presentation!
Thanks for reading this long update! The length of this post is only warranted as our chapters hosted many great events throughout the Spring semester. Not mentioned in this post, Drexel University and Texas A&M University each hosted a Young Researcher Conference this Spring as well. Those events are detailed in their own posts found for Drexel here and TAMU, as of June 24th, soon to come.
We hope you stay tuned for updates on our chapters' summer events. In the meantime, if you're interested in starting a chapter of ADSE please don't hesitate to contact us! Happy summer, all!
