SACNAS Partners with March for Science

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Jenny Kurzweil, Director of Communications & Marketing                                   

Office: 831-459-0170, ext. 233,  jenny@sacnas.org/

SACNAS PARTNERS WITH MARCH FOR SCIENCE

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) has entered a formal partnership with the March for Science, to be held April 22, 2017 in Washington, DC.

SACNAS supports the core, non-partisan principles of the March for Science and their recognition that diversity in science–a wealth of opinions, perspectives, and ideas–is critical to the scientific process.

The March for Science represents a significant national conversation on the necessity of maintaining evidence-based research in government policy and raising the overall visibility of and respect for science and scientific inquiry.

Dr. Antonia O. Franco, SACNAS Executive Director, said, “As the largest multicultural and multidisciplinary STEM diversity organization in the country, the SACNAS partnership with March for Science ensures that voices of diverse scientists and the vision for achieving true diversity in STEM are included in this important discourse.”

SACNAS VISION FOR TRUE DIVERSITY IN STEM

SACNAS firmly believes that to maintain a robust domestic and globally competitive STEM workforce, we need to achieve true diversity in STEM.

True diversity in STEM means that the field, including leadership positions, accurately and proportionately reflects the demographics of the population, and, by 2050, minority communities will be the majority.

“As scientists and engineers, we say ‘science is colorblind,’ thereby dismissing discrimination in the field based on racial, ethnic, or cultural identities. Too often, it also means our cultural, ethnic, or racial identities are inconsequential to our work,” said SACNAS President, Dr. Lino Gonzalez.

Although STEM inquiry is about innovation and the search for objective truths, it is important that each STEM professional is able to bring their whole self and their own collection of unique experiences to do their best work. As a result, diverse teams are able to produce higher quality research because of a variety of perspectives.

STRONGER SCIENCE TOGETHER

SACNAS advances science and makes our country stronger by supporting students and scientists traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields through professional development, leadership training, and building a national network of peer and mentor support.

ABOUT SACNAS

SACNAS is an inclusive organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicano/Hispanic and Native American scientists, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM. We support a national network of 6,000 paid members and a larger community of 20,000+ and 115 chapters (student and professional).

More information: SACNAS fact sheet.