In the United States there is a glaring and persistent lack of diversity in the fields of science, technology engineering and math. Not only are there disparities in racial and ethnic representation, women and in particular diverse women, are poorly represented. Given these grim statistics, the life and career of Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff stands out. When she graduated from MIT in 1975 she was one of only three Mexican American women in the US to earn a PhD in the natural sciences. As a molecular biologist she was among the early cadre of scientists who first joined DNA from animals or people to DNA from bacteria to make useful proteins and to study biological processes and human diseases. In addition to her work in science, she’s served as an administrator, business woman and diversity advocate.
On The Point, we spoke with Dr. Villa-Komaroff in advance of her presentation titled “Thinking Fast Makes Changing Slow- Normal Cognitive Processes Interfere with Achieving Diversity” Thursday September 15th in person in Woods Hole and Virtually
Increasing diversity in the fields of science, engineering, technology and math
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