Crossing the Road: Risk and Opportunity – CMA Luncheon @ ACSDenver

The American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs is glad to present Dr. Dorothy Phillips, an ACS Board Member, as the CMA Luncheon Speaker at the 249th ACS National Meeting in Denver, CO.

photo Phillips

Dr. Dorothy Phillips will speak about the roads she crossed on her professional and personal journey, always moving forward although not always sure of the outcome. She will talk about the courage that came from her parents, role models, and mentors. Her early education during the 1950s and 60s was in the segregated school system in Nashville, TN. In the 1960s, she crossed a road to help integrate a university. Dr. Phillips will tell her story of being the first African-American woman to achieve an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. Her journey was filled with several unexpected achievements that she will highlight. As a child, she played the game of digging to China; later as an adult she flew to China to do business and give lectures. She will close with an encouraging message for ACS Scholars and other young chemists.

Please join us at the Centennial E Room of the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center on Monday, March 23rd from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased when registering for the meeting. It is event SE07. If you are not registering for the meeting but would like to attend the luncheon, leave us a comment and we will get back to you!

ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences: Symposium in Honor of Rigoberto Hernandez: Advancing the Chemical Sciences Through Diversity in Participation (Afternoon Compilation)

The American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs is hosting an all-day symposium on Tuesday, August 12th 2014, entitled:ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences: Symposium in Honor of Rigoberto Hernandez: Advancing the Chemical Sciences Through Diversity in Participation.”

This post will introduce you the speakers for the afternoon session. The session will start at 1:45pm and will finish at 5:00pm.

 2:00 pm OXIDE: CHANGING ACADEMIC CHEMISTRY CULTURE FROM WITHIN

This is our honoree’s presentation, Rigoberto Hernandez. He is the director of the Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE) Program at Georgia Tech. We have dedicated a post to this distinguish professor. Click here for more information about Rigoberto Hernandez.

Shannon Watt

Dr. Watt combines her training in conjugated polymer synthesis and characterization and experience in academic diversity administration in her position as OXIDE Research and Program Manager. She founded the Georgia Tech Women in Chemistry Committee to provide support for, raise awareness of, and propose/implement solutions to the challenges faced by female chemistry trainees. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She continued her conjugated polymer characterization research as a National Science Foundation Discovery Corps Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan, where she served on the University-wide President’s Advisory Commission on Women’s Issues.

 

 

 

2:30 pm Social Psychological Research on Factors Shaping Institutional Climate in STEM

Denise Sekaquaptewa, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, and Faculty Associate at the Research Center for Group Dynamics in the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Dr. Sekaquaptewa current research is focused on stereotyping, prejudice, stereotype threat, and effects of category salience on test performance. One line of research concerns the test performance of solo vs. nonsolo group members. When one’s social category is made salient via solo status (being the only member of one’s social category in a group), academic performance is diminished, especially when the situation is one where the solo is stereotyped as a poor performer (e.g., females answering questions about science). Performance is less affected when the solo is not negatively stereotyped. A second line of research addresses the relationship between stereotype use and discrimination. Her research shows that people who rely on stereotypes in processing have more negative social interactions with members of stereotyped groups, independently of how they feel about the stereotyped group. A third line of research bridges the first two by examining the interaction of implicit stereotyping and susceptibility to the negative influence of stereotype threat.

 

 

2:55 pm Pathways to STEM Careers.

Kristin Bowman-James, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor from the University of Kansas Department of Chemistry College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Bowman-James research focus involves the strategic design and synthesis of molecules that are capable of specific functions, such as the selective recognition or sensing of ions and molecules. The results of this research can provide insight and solutions to a variety of current issues. Included in these are environmental remediation in the sensing and extraction of deleterious species, the synthesis of biomimetic systems to allow for a better understanding of biological pathways, and the creation of new catalysts for organic transformations.

 

 

 

3:35 pm Sacred Possibilities.

Sandra C. Greer, PhD., Scheffler Pre-Health Science Chair in Chemistry at Mills College

 

Dr. Greer has a distinguished professional career in academia. Her professional interests are physical chemistry, polymer science, ethics in science, and women in science. Dr. Greer won the 2004 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal given by the American Chemical Society to outstanding female chemists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4:00 pm Educating 21st Century Students through Research Support

Silvia Ronco, Ph.D.

Dr. Ronco received a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the National University of La Plata in Argentina. She did postdoctoral work with Guillermo Ferraudi at the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory, and with John D. Petersen at Clemson University. Her research interests involve the synthesis and electron transfer studies of transition metal complexes with applications in solar energy conversion, and the design of luminescence sensors and photocatalysts. Her research interests involve the synthesis and electron transfer studies of transition metal complexes with applications in solar energy conversion, and the design of luminescence sensors and photocatalysts. Dr. Ronco served as a professor of chemistry at the University of South Dakota.

She has been a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego; a Program Officer for the Photochemical and Radiation Sciences Program at the U.S. Department of Energy; and the P.I. for an interdisciplinary NSF-Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site at USD.

 

 

4:25 pm Transformation of the Louisiana State University Chemistry Department

Isiah M. Warner, PhD.

Isiah Warner has created a “hierarchical mentoring” model that fuses research, education, and mentoring to give undergraduates an opportunity for advancement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. His research has focused in two different areas of analytical chemistry: molecular spectroscopy and separation science.

 

 

 

They are all great people doing an exceptional work to advance the chemical sciences through diversity in participation. We are honored with their presence and can’t wait to attend the symposium.

 

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

 

*Speakers’ bio/information was found online.          

ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences: Symposium in Honor of Rigoberto Hernandez: Advancing the Chemical Sciences Through Diversity in Participation

As a part of the Fall 2014 National Meeting in San Francisco, the ACS Committee for Minority Affairs will be co-sponsoring several programming items.  On Tuesday Morning, August 12th, 2014, the session will be titled “ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences: Symposium in Honor of Rigoberto Hernandez: Advancing the Chemical Sciences Through Diversity in Participation”

Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Room: Union Square 15/16
8:35am. Diverse forces in delicate cooperative systems: Designing liquid crystalline materials. T. M. Swager

Timothy M. Swager, tswager@mit.edu, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States Timothy M. Swager, tswager@mit.edu, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

This lecture will describe design principles for the formation of liquid crystalline materials employing cooperative interactions. Liquid crystals have many properties similar to human dynamics. There are natural associations, cooperative assemblies, forces that result in alignments, and dispersive elements that must be balanced by attractive forces to maintain the collective assembly. Examples to be detailed will include chiral amplification, the use of molecular shape for alignment, and the use of intermolecular bonding to modulate electronic structure.

9:00am. Addressing faculty race and diversity in academic research institutions: Reflections on the MIT study. P. T. Hammond

Paula T. Hammond, hammond@mit.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
Paula T. Hammond, hammond@mit.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

The Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was charged by the Provost to investigate the status of underrepresented minority faculty (which includes Black, Hispanic, and Native American faculty) at MIT, and to use the findings from this investigation to inform a set of recommendations and best practices. The recommendations addressed Institute policy and practices to be implemented to increase the recruitment and the retention of underrepresented minority faculty at the Institute, and to create an environment conducive to the advancement of faculty careers across the broad spectrum of race, gender and nationality. The efforts of the Initiative include in-depth research on the experiences of minority faculty on campus, including survey and quantitative personnel data, a cohort analysis, and in-depth interviews of minority faculty at MIT. Specific issues addressed in the recommendations include faculty recruiting, mentoring, promotion and tenure, as well as structural recommendations that address support and accountability for diversity efforts ranging from the improvement of the graduate student and postdoctoral pipeline to the setting of strategic goals for increasing the numbers of minority faculty at the Institute. In the interest of learning from past and ongoing efforts, several interesting models of success within MIT’s own departments and schools and at other institutions were examined, as well as patterns in hiring and in faculty experiences that spoke to a need for change on the departmental to institutional levels. An interesting aspect of the recommendations is that many of them seek to strengthen the MIT faculty environment for all faculty members by providing a stronger, more defined mentoring policy and clarity around promotion processes that benefit all junior faculty, broader and more extensive search processes that can expand on MITs breadth and depth, and greater engagement in the academic pipeline and the opportunity to guide young scholars toward academia. Current progress at MIT since the publication of the report in 2010 also will be touched on, as well as some perspective on the local efforts in Chemical Engineering at MIT and on other campuses.

9:25 am. How corporations promote diversity: Lessons for academia. F. Dobbin, A. Kalev

Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States, Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States,akalev@post.tau.ac.il. Tel Aviv University, Israel akalev@post.tau.ac.il. Tel Aviv University, Israel

For half a century, corporations have sought to promote equality of opportunity for employees, and prospective employees through personnel reforms. Yet there has been little research on what kinds of reforms actually increase opportunity for women and members of minority groups. In the first large-scale quantitative study comparing the effects of different reforms on actual gender, race, and ethnic diversity of the workforce, we examine data from over 800 firms for more than thirty years. Many of the reforms, including mentoring programs, diversity training, and work-life benefits, have become popular in academia as well. This presentation explores the implications of our evidence-based approach to corporate diversity programs for academic institutions seeking to promote faculty diversity.

10:05 am. Inclusion and diversity efforts of The Ohio State University — College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. S. Olesik

Susan Olesik, olesik.1@osu.edu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States Susan Olesik, olesik.1@osu.edu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States

As many of the baby boomers begin to retire, high tech industries are increasingly challenged to find trained candidates for their specialized job portfolios. Minorities and women continue to be underrepresented in many technical fields especially in higher level positions. Accordingly, our efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented groups in the sciences must intensify. Programs at Ohio State University to increase the diversity in the sciences at all levels are established and continue to flourish. These programs include efforts to increase the number of students interested in science, improve retention of STEM majors with clear focus on improving under-represented students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as, increase the diversity of the faculty. The successes of these programs and the lessons learned will be highlighted in this talk.

10:30 am. Broadening participation efforts in STEM at NSF. C. M. Rohlfing

Celeste M. Rohlfing, crohlfin@nsf.gov, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230, United States Celeste M. Rohlfing, crohlfin@nsf.gov, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230, United States

NSF’s commitment to broadening participation from underrepresented groups in its activities and programs is embedded in its Strategic Plan through a variety of investment priorities. These include: preparing a diverse, globally-engaged science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce; integrating research with education, and building capacity; and improving processes to recruit highly qualified reviewers and panelists. Highlights from NSF-wide activities, as well as those specific to the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, will be presented.

10:55 am. Synthesis and structure—blame and guilt: Can chemistry teach us anything about diversity? G. H. Robinson

Gregory H. Robinson, robinson@uga.edu, Department of Chemistry, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2556, United States Gregory H. Robinson, robinson@uga.edu, Department of Chemistry, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2556, United States

The successful synthesis of a complex molecule often involves the utilization of disparate reagents and techniques (i.e., acids and bases; polar and nonpolar solvents; evaporation and condensation; organic-aqueous extractions). Indeed, a classic crystallization technique involves gently layering a nonpolar solvent atop a polar solvent—the desired reaction product often crystallizing precisely at the immiscible solvent interface. It may be an oversimplification to suggest that the complex interplay of race in America can easily be compared to chemistry. However, when the topic of race is broached, the protagonists routinely begin their discussion using the familiar reagents of blame and guilt. The major resulting product is often a high yield of recriminations. Might discussions on race and diversity be more productive if we were to begin at that subtle interface of commonality? This presentation will explore this possibility.