On October 5 and 6th, the “Celebrating Latinx voices in STEM” symposium will occur at the Discovery building with the generous support of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Inclusion in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI), the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The event will showcase a series of presentations led by scientists from UW-Madison who proudly identify as Latinx.
The symposium will provide a unique opportunity to bring together students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty in a dynamic interdisciplinary setting. It will feature engaging talks, interactive games, meaningful conversations about social identity, and valuable networking connections with Latinx scientists on campus. The goal is to foster meaningful interactions with the scientific community and bring awareness to the distinctive perspectives and experiences of latin american scientists.
“Through this symposium, we aim to achieve a spectrum of goals, including: increasing the visibility of Latinx scientists to inspire conference organizers to diversify their speaker rosters; challenging stereotypes about Latinx individuals in the broader community; nurturing the aspirations of upcoming generations of Latinx scientists by introducing them to potential role models; and spotlighting the vital contributions of Latinx scientists within the UW–Madison community,” says Claudia Solis Lemus, co-organizer of the symposium and assistant professor at WID and the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The symposium aspires to spark insightful discussions and foster meaningful interactions among the Latinx scientific community, as well as with participants from other backgrounds. The lineup of speakers is composed of UW faculty members at various stages of their careers. The diverse roster aims to amplify the visibility of the research work in STEM of underrepresented minorities, including Latinx individuals and women. “We hope to shed light on stereotypes that the general population might have about the role (or lack thereof) of Latinx people in STEM,” says Solis Lemus.
“Notably, this symposium will be recorded and added to “El Zoominario,” says Solis Lemus, “So it will be accessible to everyone.” El Zoominario is a YouTube seminar series of short, 15-20 minute scientific talks (in English) given by Latinx in STEM and created by Solis Lemus in 2020, during the pandemic. The initiative seeks to enhance the visibility of Latinx people in STEM and inspire the next generation of Latinx scientists through accessible language and connect with audience members with interesting facts about Latinx culture.
Through partnerships with the School of Education, El Zoominario advertises broadly in middle schools and high schools in Wisconsin with predominantly Latinx populations.
The symposium will explore underrepresentation in science and cover questions related to mentoring, networking, diversity challenges. Keynote speaker Dr. Ana Maria Porras Corredor, UW-Madison alum, co-founder of the Latinx in BME community and an internationally recognized advocate for the inclusion of women and Latinx in STEM and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, where she leads the Tissue-Microbe Interactions lab will present ‘Latina in STEM – Finding my Research Identity through Comunidad.’ She will discuss challenges she has encountered in gender, ethnicity, and leadership and her strategies for dealing with them, and achieving a work life balance. She was selected as an IF/THEN AAAS Ambassador for girls and women in STEM and was honored with a statue at the Smithsonian Institution within that program. Throughout the symposium, participants will be offered a chance to engage in a question and answer period after each presentation. The Celebration of Latinx Voices in STEM is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to RSVP by October 3, 2023.
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