1. Lauren Fink & Millie Copara
Neuroscience Graduate Group
SOMA: Seminar Outreach for
Minority Advocacy
2. 1. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates. 2010
2. Sved, A.F., Society for Neuroscience, 2011.
Percentage of Minorities in Neuroscience Programs vs. U.S. Population
Students and faculty lack models of minority success
● From 2011 survey report of 97
Neuroscience graduate
programs in the United States
● Demographics within
neuroscience vastly mismatch
the actual distribution of
minority communities within
the United States population
● This hasn’t changed much in
the last ~30 years
4. Seminar Outreach for Minority Advocacy
Provides a platform for scientific researchers to share a diverse set of ideas and perspectives
as well as sharing their journeys in academia
Seminar Lunch Meetings Dinner
Event Structure:
15 min – Academic Journey
45 min – Research Talk
Candid
dialogue with
students
Make research
connections with
UCD faculty
Further connection
w/ faculty + students
5. Evaluation
Pre- and post- seminar series surveys assessing
participants’ perspectives on diversity-related
issues in academia and neuroscience
6 months later: survey to evaluate whether any
formidable mentorship connections were
established, or professional networks
supplemented, by the seminar speakers’ visits.
6. Impact
Enhance the visibility of underrepresented
scientists and their research
Give them a broader platform to reach the
scientific community, especially aspiring
young scientists - aligning with Goal 3 of UCD
Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
Facilitate candid dialogue between
underrepresented faculty and students -
aligning with Goal 4 of the Strategic Plan
Establish research connections between our
invited speakers and researchers at UC Davis
7. Thank you for your attention!
Questions?
lkfink@ucdavis.edu
mscopara@ucdavis.edu
Acknowledgements:
- Lillian Cruz-Orengo, Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science
(CAMPOS) Faculty Scholar
- Marty Usrey, Center for Neuroscience
- Cristeta Rillera, Center for Neuroscience
- Steve Lee, Graduate Diversity Officer of STEM Disciplines
8. Budget & Timeline
Estimated Fees for one speaker/seminar:
Transportation/ Flight …… $550
Hotel ….. $200
Food (catered lunch & reception).. $250
Food (catered dinner).. $250
__________________________________
Total (one seminar) $1,250
X 4 speakers/seminars
__________________________________
$5,000
May 2017: appoint graduate student hosts and
organizing committee
June 2017: Send out speaker invitations
July 2017: Book all travel and
accommodations ($3000)
August 2017: Develop advertisement for the
seminar series and begin advertising
September 2017: Book catering for all talks
($2000). Organize speakers’ schedules (e.g.
pick up, meetings with other faculty, etc.)
October 2017: Seminars 1 and 2
November 2017: Seminar 3
December 2017: Seminar 4
Timeline for Expenditure
Editor's Notes
Establish mismatch
Matters because:
(students and profs)
Higher percentage than who they’re exposed to
Instead could say we are x% and we want to highlight and retain people we do have and promote underrep minority success
Few underrepresented minorities are invited to give seminars in our Neuroscience department, creating an illusion among our group that success as a minority is rare - a sentiment counter to the stated goals in the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan.
Equitable representation in potential mentors and role models promotes success for everyone
Seminar begins w/ personal story
Lunch for students only
Meetings with groups, students, and faculty across campus
Dinner with students and faculty
Faculty will be from varying status - associate, assistant, full professor
Half of these speakers will be from cellular or systems neuroscience backgrounds, while the other half will be from social neuroscience, speaking on their research related to the neuroscience of implicit bias, race relations, gender, etc.
Patricia Devine https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NlHn8ZYAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Tiffany Ito
Beverly Daniel Tatum
Jennifer Kubota https://psychology.uchicago.edu/directory/jennifer-kubota
Nilanjana Dasgupta http://people.umass.edu/nd/index.html
Ben Barres
We will assess the impact on their personal academic aspirations, their identity as an ally for underrepresented minorities, and their likelihood of involvement in inclusion-related initiatives.
upholding Goals 3 and 4 of the UC Davis Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
Goal 3: advance a climate that fosters inclusion excellence
Goal 4: promote diversity and inclusion approaches and frameworks in research, teaching, public service and training across campus and in neighboring communities
