The annual Distinguished Women in Science Lecture Series, presented by the Consortium for Women and Research, is coming in the form of a half-day symposium this year, “ADVANCEing STEM Faculty at UC Davis.”

ADVANCE is a National Science Foundation program to boost the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in academic STEM careers: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

With a 2012 NSF grant of $3.7 million over five years, UC Davis has established its own ADVANCE Program — one that focuses in particular on increasing the representation of Latinas in STEM.

UC Davis ADVANCE is co-sponsoring next week's symposium: 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday (April 25) in Ballroom A at the Activities and Recreation Center.

The organizers said the symposium, for faculty, administrators and students, will address the national imperative for a diverse STEM faculty, the role the NSF ADVANCE Program plays in meeting that challenge, and the specific aims of the UC Davis ADVANCE Program.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, principal investigator for UC Davis ADVANCE, will give the keynote address: “Advancing STEM Research Through Diversity.” The program also includes two panels.

The first panel, “NSF ADVANCE: Goals, Impact and Future,” comprises one UC Davis professor (who serves as a vice provost at the UC Office of the President), and professors from the universities of Michigan and Maryland. The panelists and their topics:

• Abigail Stewart — “The History, Goals and impact of NSF ADVANCE.” Stewart is a professor of psychology and women’s studies, and director of ADVANCE at the University of Michigan.
• Susan Carlson — “The Investment NSF ADVANCE Has Made in UC.” Carlson is vice provost of Academic Personnel, UC Office of the President, and a professor of English, UC Davis; and principal investigator on the NSF ADVANCE grant “Meeting the California Challenge.
• Ruth Zambrana — “Historically Underrepresented Minority Women in the Academy: An Essential Focus for NSF ADVANCE.” Zambrana is a professor of women’s studies, and director of the Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The second panel, “ADVANCE Institutional Transformation at UC Davis,” comprises three UC Davis faculty members, two of whom are administrators. The panelists and their topics:

• Kimberlee Shauman — “The State of STEM Faculty at UC Davis.” Shauman is a professor of sociology.
• Adela de la Torre — “The Importance of the Focus on Latinas.” De la Torre is interim vice chancellor, Student Affairs, and a professor of Chicana/o studies.
• Maureen Stanton — “UC Davis ADVANCE Goals and Primary Initiatives.” She is vice provost, Academic Affairs, and a professor of evolution and ecology.

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