The SACNAS 2017 National Diversity in STEM Conference was three full days of cutting-edge science, professional development, training, and mentoring for students and scientists at all levels.
Dulce Campos, Biology student in her senior year, and I traveled in October to Salt Lake City, Utah to participate in this conference that was like none other. Equal parts science, culture, and community, made 2017 SACNAS the largest diversity in STEM conference in the country.
VANGUARD PRESENT AT SACNAS
One of the goals of the SACNAS conference is to provide a training ground for students and professionals that provide support and guidance throughout STEM educational and career paths. Many workshops and poster sessions were designed for learning more about STEM fields. Vanguard University was present during the poster session. Dulce Campos (pictured on the left) explained and shared the results of her research project, Genotyping of transgenic mice model for Alzheimers, during SURP (Summer Undergraduate Research Program). She skillfully answered a myriad of tough questions from undergrad to graduate students, post-docs and professors specialized on the field.
I had the honor to be a mentor and judge during the conference. I reviewed many posters and had the opportunity to interact with many undergraduate and graduate students. We shared many opportunities, as well as dreams. In addition, I was able to network with other professors and researchers to discuss future projects and the necessity of helping Hispanics students to get a university degree.
VISITING UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
As part of the SACNAS meeting, we spent one morning at Utah State University. The chair of the Biology department welcomed us, and we were able to visit some of the research labs and talk with the Principal Investigators or graduate students about their current research projects. The campus is beautiful, and all the professors and students were very affirming.
