WLP Fall Speaker Series: Devin Waller, Planetary Geologist

 

Women of color are severely underrepresented in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. In 2008, African Americans who’d received Science and Engineering doctorates were only 4% of the faculty at U.S. colleges and universities. At Cal Tech, one of the leading science and technology institutions in the country, African Americans are less than 1% of the faculty. They are 4% of the faculty at MIT. African American students are also underrepresented in the key Advanced Placement and college preparation science classes they need to gain admission to a four year college or university.

On October 9^th and 17^th planetary geologist Devin Waller (B.S., Physics, UCLA, M.S. Planetary Geology, Arizona State University) will join WLP students at Washington Prep and Gardena High Schools to discuss her path as a budding scientist in a white male-dominated field. Ms. Waller will introduce students to the field of planetary geology and explore the barriers that keep young women of color from pursuing STEM degrees and careers.