FSU BIPOC Faculty Discuss
Young Nerds of Color
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19
4:30PM - 6:00PM
Members of the Framingham State University community are welcome to attend a panel discussion prompted by the themes of Young Nerds of Color in the FSU Planetarium during Massachusetts STEM Week 2022!
Panel Discussion
FSU faculty will engage in a conversation prompted by Young Nerds of Color. The play is an interdisciplinary project based on interviews with scientists from diverse backgrounds: people of color, women, ethnic minorities, and people from low income families.
The panel will discuss themes that emerge from the play, including: loneliness, code switching, the lie of science objectivity, challenges to feeling authentic, pressure to represent, and imposter syndrome.
Panelists
Cara Pina, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Ishara Mills-Henry, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Food Science
Wardell Powell, Assistant Professor, Department of Education
Folashadé Solomon, Associate Professor, Department of Education
Vandana Singh, Professor, Department of the Environment, Society and Sustainability
Seeing the play before the panel discussion is not necessary, but you are encouraged to attend one of the FREE screenings of the play in the FSU Planetarium during STEM Week. More information is below.
Screenings During STEM Week
Monday, October 17: 8:30am; 10:30am; 12:30pm; 2:30pm
Tuesday, October 18: 8:30am; 10:30am; 12:30pm; 2:30pm
Wednesday, October 19: 8:30am; 10:30am; 12:30pm; 2:30pm
Thursday, October 20: 8:30am; 10:30am; 12:30pm; 2:30pm
Friday, October 21: 8:30am; 10:30am
FSU Faculty, Staff, and Student Clubs/Organizations:
To book a screening for your group during STEM Week, please fill out this form.
Additional screenings in the FSU Planetarium can be scheduled any time during the semester. Please use this form to submit a screening request.
Note: The play is about 80 minutes long. Should you prefer, we can also provide a link to the video for you to screen the play in your classroom or meeting location.
Walk-ins: Interested in attending a screening but aren’t part of a group? No problem! All members of the FSU community are welcome to attend any STEM Week screening as a walk-in on the dates and times listed above.
About Young Nerds of Color
Young Nerds of Color premiered last spring at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. The play is an interdisciplinary project, based on interviews with scientists and students of science who come from backgrounds underrepresented in professional science: people of color, women, ethnic minorities, and people from low income families. The play provides a case study in how interviews can be used to bridge the humanities and science. The goal of this project is to provide audiences with a new approach to address issues of systemic racism, especially in fields like the sciences and theater, where dominant groups have historically codified who can practice the discipline and how.
The play brings to the stage deeply-felt stories of people passionate about science for whom the journey has been complex. It explores themes such as loneliness, code switching, the lie of science objectivity, challenges to feeling authentic, pressure to represent, and imposter syndrome. Through these stories, reasons emerge for why diversity is needed to shape the future of scientific innovation: to encourage a ‘diversity mindset’ and a broad definition of diversity; to show commonalities, to disrupt dominant narratives, and to demonstrate the need to be messy, inquisitive, and fearless.
Watch a brief preview of the play below, or by clicking here.
THIS EVENT IS PART OF MASSACHUSETTS STEM WEEK 2022
Massachusetts STEM Week 2022, October 17 – 21, is a statewide collaborative effort organized by the Executive Office of Education and the STEM Advisory Council in partnership with the state’s nine Regional STEM Networks, like MetroWest STEM Education Network, which plan and coordinate activities with local school communities, community leaders, and business partners.
Important Information
The McAuliffe Center is located at the rear of O’Connor Hall on the campus of Framingham State University. The entrance to the O’Connor Hall Parking Lot is on Maynard Road. Click here for directions.
Masks are required for all.