The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) has announced an upcoming discussion featuring Indigenous women in engineering in partnership with the Society of Women Engineers.
The panelists will include Akilah Martinez, Charitie Ropati, and Gisella Lamas-Samanamud.
Akilah Martinez holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of New Mexico. She is the CEO and founder of Glittering World Girl and is recognized as a 2024 Dine College Nits’aadoo Idahwiiil’aah Mellon Foundation Fellow.
Her team recently won two first-place awards at MIT for developing a Dine language augmented reality mobility aid and was recognized as a 2024 New Mexico Women in Tech Emerging Leader. Martinez specializes in extended reality (XR) development, focusing on augmented and virtual reality, and frequently speaks at the MIT XR Reality event in Boston, Massachusetts.
Charitie Ropati, Yup’ik, and Sāmoan is a scientist and engineer with ties to Alaska and New York City. Her research investigates the intersection of plant ecology, permafrost, and cultural resilience in coastal Native communities.
Additionally, Ropati has contributed to developing water and pipe services for rural Alaska Native communities, earning the Champion for Change award from the Center for Native American Youth.
Gisella Lamas-Samanamud is an environmental engineer whose research interests include biofilm education and bioenvironmental engineering.
She earned her Ph.D. in environmental sciences and engineering from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2015, following her M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2011, and her B.S. in biochemical engineering from the same institution in 2006. Lamas-Samanamud is actively involved in outreach opportunities with the Society of Women Engineers – Indigenous Peoples AG.
During the March 20, 2025 event, these women will share their journeys, discuss how their cultural backgrounds have influenced their careers, and offer advice to aspiring engineers.
SACNAS has also issued a final call for applications for CareerCon. This immersive, community-based learning event is designed for SACNAS members exploring careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Attendees will have the chance to connect with experts, discover job opportunities, and build essential skills for success.
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