Access to scientific ideas and up-to-date information about the environment is a source of power. Exposure to and understanding of the science that affects our lives can help communities make decisions better, communicate problems, and advocate for themselves.
As a scientist, I am unsatisfied with the notion that our jobs end at the university gates. As possessors and creators of new understanding, it is our responsibility to widen notions of who can be a scientist, increase access to scientific information, and transform unfair behaviors and norms within our disciplines.
As a scientist, I am unsatisfied with the notion that our jobs end at the university gates. As possessors and creators of new understanding, it is our responsibility to widen notions of who can be a scientist, increase access to scientific information, and transform unfair behaviors and norms within our disciplines.
Democratize Science: Public Art x Science Exhibit, Water and Trees in California
In spring 2019, I designed and created an art and science exhibit aimed at exposing children and their families to the ecology of water and trees in the state of California at the Junior Center of Art and Science in Oakland (JCAS). Located on Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA, the JCAS offers an accessible venue for learning to diverse population. In collaboration with JCAS leadership, botanist Dr. Joyce Chery, and high school interns, this exhibit communicated concepts in tree anatomy, landscape hydrology, and climate for a wide audience of children and adults.
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Invited Talk: Ecology as Locus for Social Change
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In April 2018, the University of California Riverside chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) invited me to give a keynote address for their conference titled "Healing the Earth". In it, I share my views on ways in which the culture of research can perpetuate inequality and erasure of marginalized people-- and how we might change it.
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Diversity Recruitment as a Sociocultural Intervention
For too long, ecology and earth sciences have been among the most racially homogeneous disciplines in science. As a scientist and educator, I aim to identify and dismantle barriers to entering these fields.
As a graduate student at Cornell, I proposed, co-designed, and implemented the first Cornell Ph.D. Diversity Preview Weekend in 2017. This student-led program, now in it's fourth successful year, is among the first of its kind at a top R1 Research University. It is a comprehensive program aimed at exposing underrepresented minority students to their graduate department of interest, thoroughly preparing them to apply and interview for graduate programs, and providing spaces where minorities in science can connect and express their experiences. Learn more about the Cornell Ph.D. Diversity Preview Weekend here. |
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Training Diverse Biologists
Field experience is fundamental to developing curious and confident biologists. I'm passionate about field biology and helping students become researchers through experience. I've been fortunate have organized and taught field biology classes with some of the best biologists at Cornell. You can learn more about my field teaching experience here.