The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) has announced that United States Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, will welcome attendees to the National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Digital Conference on October 25-29. According to SACNAS, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research, and professional development sessions will promote belonging through SACNAS’ blend of science, culture, and community.
Nearly 5,000 students and professionals are expected for the five-day digital conference. Sec. Haaland will address the conference via recorded remarks as the conference is delivered virtually.
“It is a deeply meaningful and an incredible honor to have Secretary Haaland welcome our attendees,” SACNAS president Pamela Padilla, Ph.D., said in a statement. “Throughout her career in public service, Secretary Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity for future generations, which is directly aligned with the SACNAS mission. Her historic appointment aligns with this pivotal moment in time where our communities are feeling the devastating toll of the pandemic, climate change, and ongoing racial injustice, and yet we are stepping into our power. Secretary Haaland not only embodies our shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, she is an inspiration to our members.”
A member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican, Secretary Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Attendees will access multicultural celebrations and traditions, sharing time with an inclusive and welcoming community of peers and mentors.
Other keynote speakers at the 2021 NDiSTEM Conference include Dr. Alfredo “Dr. Q” Quiñones-Hinojosa, brain cancer neuroscientist, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos, and Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
Featured speakers include Dr. Desi Small Rodriguez, director of the Data Warriors Lab and co-founder of the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, Dr. Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature and Sparrow Envy, and Rafael Alvarez, director of the San Diego City College Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program.
Throughout her career in public service, Secretary Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity. Secretary Haaland is one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress, where she focused on environmental justice, climate change, missing and murdered indigenous women and family-friendly policies.
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