{"651280":{"#nid":"651280","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month: Faculty Perspectives on Representation, Mentoring, Leadership in STEM","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESeptember 15 to October 15 is\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENational Hispanic Heritage Month\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, which celebrates the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latinx individuals in all aspects of American life \u0026ndash; history, culture, and achievements.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/in-depth\/news\/nation\/2020\/01\/06\/more-hispanic-students-than-ever-go-college-but-cost-high\/2520646001\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Enumber of Latinx students enrolled in higher education\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the U.S. was 3.27 million in 2017 \u0026mdash; nearly twice the 1.4 million attending college in 2010.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhile those of Spanish (Hispanic) and Latin American (Latinx) origin and descent, along with other underrepresented minorities\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf21321\/report\/executive-summary\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ereported increases in the number of academic positions held since 1999\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, today\u0026rsquo;s figures still represent less than 10 percent of all positions held by underrepresented minorities \u0026mdash; and that number remains considerably lower than the total share of the U.S. population, according to the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis month, we\u0026rsquo;re asking Hispanic and Latinx faculty in the College of Sciences to share some of their early school day stories, the reasons they chose to study science, and their thoughts on the importance of representation in STEM classes and leadership in higher education.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere did you grow up, and what was STEM education like for you?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/rivera-hernandez-dr-frances\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFrances Rivera-Hern\u0026aacute;ndez\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, assistant professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI grew up in Aguas Buenas, a small mountain town in Puerto Rico. STEM education was limited for me growing up, as my town doesn\u0026rsquo;t have a university or any science museums. Most of my STEM education came from my science\/math teachers \u0026mdash; and TV! I watched a lot of science documentaries. I also had very limited exposure to the diversity of science disciplines. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t until I was able to participate in an Upward Bound Math\/Science summer program (part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/about\/offices\/list\/ope\/trio\/index.html\u0022\u003Efederally funded TRIO program\u003C\/a\u003E) as a rising senior in high school that I met scientists for the first time, and in a college setting. That program changed my life, as it set the course for my future career in science. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/fernandez\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFacundo Fern\u0026aacute;ndez\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, Vasser Woolley Foundation Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry, professor and associate chair for Research, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI grew up in Argentina, and back in the 1970\u0026rsquo;s, when I was in elementary school, there was little STEM education. We were under a military dictatorship, and the situation overall was very harsh for science and scientists, as many were \u0026ldquo;disappeared\u0026rdquo; and never heard of again. I was lucky to have a father who is a physicist, who instilled in me a love for science fiction and anything related to science. I still remember him explaining to me light scattering when I asked why the sky was blue. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/carlos-silva\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECarlos Silva\u0026nbsp;Acu\u0026ntilde;a\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, professor, School of Physics:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI had a somewhat international upbringing, born in Mexico City where I went to school through second grade in elementary, and then moved to Caracas, Venezuela, where I lived through sixth grade, and then back to Mexico City for the rest of secondary school and high school. Because of this, I studied in international schools both in Venezuela and in Mexico. STEM resources were very good, and that definitely influenced my interest in science. Particularly, my fascination with fundamental science was developed during my high school years, and I always aimed to be a pure scientist.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDid you have any Hispanic mentors or teachers who encouraged you in the sciences?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERivera-Hern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYes! I had great science and math teachers who always encouraged my interests in science. In particular, my high school physics teacher, Cheo Merced, who taught me how to see the beauty of physics in the world around me. My parents were also very supportive, even though they are not scientists. They encouraged my space obsession, which I\u0026rsquo;ve had since I was a kid.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy mentors and teachers back in Argentina were incredible, despite the limited resources. Their love for science and education is unparalleled, as they face constant challenges to do what they love. My mentors in the US were not Hispanic, but they still spent an incredible amount of time and resources to help me grow in a fertile environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESilva\u0026nbsp;Acu\u0026ntilde;a:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn university and in graduate school I was not exposed to Hispanic mentors, although I was inspired by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/prizes\/chemistry\/1995\/molina\/biographical\/\u0022\u003EMario Molina\u003C\/a\u003E, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry when I was a graduate student. I was inspired though by my Ph.D. supervisor, Paul Barbara, who was an advocate of inclusion in STEM.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your thoughts about getting more Hispanic and Latinx students to think about careers in STEM while they\u0026rsquo;re in grades K-12?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERivera-Hern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe lack of scientist role models that I had growing up is why I decided to be a professor, and why I do a lot of outreach at the K-12 levels. I want to make sure that other people like me can see themselves in the planetary science\/geoscience field, and as scientists.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWe need to intensify science outreach in schools at a very early stage and explain to kids that being a scientist is a wonderful career that is reachable.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESilva\u0026nbsp;Acu\u0026ntilde;a:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI am excited for my role as Associate Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s new National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/special_reports\/announcements\/090921.jsp?sf150924217=1\u0022\u003ECenter for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand\u003C\/a\u003E. I will be particularly interested in recruiting Hispanic students, and am active in collaboration with Mexican institutions (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cinvestav.mx\/\u0022\u003ECINVESTAV\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unam.mx\/\u0022\u003EUNAM\u003C\/a\u003E) for that purpose.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat, in your opinion, could help boost the number of Hispanic and Latinx researchers and faculty in higher education?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI think the issues are mostly socioeconomic. Many (but not all) Hispanic students face challenges that other students don\u0026rsquo;t, so they have to make a living and support themselves faster. I, for example, had to work through graduate school to pay bills, which made it quite difficult.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESilva\u0026nbsp;Acu\u0026ntilde;a:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMore networking with Hispanic communities. Hispanic faculty like myself need to be proactive in reaching out to those communities to expose STEM careers to students and to the broader community. I recruit many Hispanic students to my group, and I encourage my peers to seek opportunities to do so.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAny Georgia Tech-related programs encouraging Hispanic and Latinx representation among students and faculty that you want to mention?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFern\u0026aacute;ndez:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/logras.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ELOGRAS (Latino Organization for Graduate Students\u003C\/a\u003E) group at Georgia Tech is one that is close to my heart.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESilva\u0026nbsp;Acu\u0026ntilde;a:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn Sept. 7\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E,\u0026nbsp;there was a very large Chemistry Twitter Poster Conference sponsored by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.latinxchem.org\/english\u0022\u003ELatinXChem\u003C\/a\u003E. I am an organizer for their physical chemistry division. There are approximately 1,300 poster registrations from all over the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E(\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor\u0026rsquo;s Note\u003C\/strong\u003E: LatinXChem is a virtual forum through which the community of Latin American chemists, located anywhere in the world, can share and discuss their research results and advances. Their Twitter account is\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/latinxchem\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E@LatinXChem\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.)\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERelated Reading\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech is now an official member of the American Chemical Society\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/american-chemical-society-adds-college-sciences-its-formula-diversity-success\u0022\u003EBridge Program\u003C\/a\u003E, which aims to boost the number of underrepresented minority M.S. and Ph.D. students in the discipline.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/american-chemical-society-adds-college-sciences-its-formula-diversity-success\u0022\u003ELearn more about that program here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGet involved with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/diversity\/task-force\u0022\u003ECollege of Sciences Racial Equity Taskforce\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/faculty-resources\/faculty-diversity-council\u0022\u003EFaculty Diversity Council\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/graduate-student-diversity-council\u0022\u003EGraduate Student Diversity Council\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/student-organizations\u0022\u003Ecampus organizations for math and science students\u003C\/a\u003E;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hispanicoffice.gatech.edu\/events\/hispanic-heritage-month\u0022\u003Ejoin the Georgia Tech 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration\u003C\/a\u003E; and read more community stories on heritage and representation \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/search\/node\/black%20history%20month\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/search\/node\/women%27s%20history\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/search\/node\/pride%20perspectives\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/kathy-sims-progress-service-and-inviting-everyone-table\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/chung-kim-inclusivity-kindness-celebrating-heritage-and-culture\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-i-spent-my-summer-nsf-reus-welcome-undergraduate-researchers\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOffice of Hispanic Initiatives Celebrates 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech\u0026#39;s Office of Hispanic Initiatives will sponsor and co-sponsor a host of virtual and in-person events open to faculty, staff, and students in celebration of 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/20\/office-hispanic-initiatives-celebrates-2021-hispanic-heritage-month\u0022\u003ELearn more about get involved\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"\u201cI want to make sure that other people like me can see themselves\u2026as scientists.\u201d Frances Rivera-Hern\u00e1ndez, Facundo Fern\u00e1ndez and Carlos Silva Acu\u00f1a share early school day stories, why they chose science, and their perspectives on representation"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I want to make sure that other people like me can see themselves\u0026hellip;as scientists.\u0026rdquo; Frances Rivera-Hern\u0026aacute;ndez, Facundo Fern\u0026aacute;ndez and Carlos 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