Clemson to host first Hispanic/Latinx Voices in Academia Conference

CLEMSON — Clemson University will highlight academic achievements and contributions during the first Hispanic/Latinx Voices in Academia Saturday, Oct. 13, 8 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. at the Watt Family Innovation Center.

Conference participants will examine the work of Hispanic and Latinx researchers and scholars from around the country while recognizing and celebrating their many successes and talents throughout the day.

“We are excited to host the conference,” said Derek Wilmott, chair of Clemson University’s Commission on Latino Affairs. “South Carolina has experienced the fastest Hispanic population growth among the Southeastern states. It is the 3^rd fastest growth in the nation.”

Wilmott said the conference serves as a platform for new and stronger institutional partnerships between Clemson and other universities across the Southeast.

The conference includes research and poster presentations and 10-minute TED-style talks called Forward Insights and two featured speakers:

Keynote speaker, Frances Frances Colón, Ph.D., is the CEO of Jasperi Consulting, a  firm that provides science, environment and technology policy advice to higher education institutions and state and national-level policy-makers. Colón is a 2018 New Voices Fellow of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She also served as the Deputy Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State under the Obama Administration.

Professor and mathematician Talitha Washington will deliver a ‘forward vision’ address during the conference. The professor teaches at Howard University and is the co-lead of the National Science Foundation’s new Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) program which seeks to enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education at HSIs.

Clemson faculty will present on the following topics:

• Professor Jorge Rodriguez, Ph.D., “Personalized medicine: Are we there yet?”
• Eduardo Nieves, Web Developer, CAAH, “Globalization and translational congregations: A study of Hispanic communities in Greenville, South Carolina”
• Professor Hugo Sanabria, Ph.D., “Seeing biomolecules at work”
• Professor Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte, Ph.D., “Nanoweaving using microbial factories”
• Professor Oriana Aragón, Ph.D., “Psychology and neuroscience on the mystery of human ‘tears of joy’”

“We are intentional about the work we do at Clemson,” said Julio Hernandez, Senior Associate Director of Hispanic Outreach, Division of Inclusion and Equity. “This conference is another example of how we communicate teaching, learning and sharing at a diverse, culturally relevant institute of higher learning.

The Hispanic/Latinx Voices in Academia Conference culminates with Noche de Gala, an evening of live entertainment, authentic food and award presentations to individuals who help make Clemson’s campus a welcoming environment for Hispanic and Latinx students, faculty and staff.

The conference is sponsored by the Commission on Latino Affairs and supported by the Division of Inclusion and Equity. Registration will remain open until all seats are filled. Attendees may begin using #ClemsonLatinxVoices2018 now to post and monitor posts about the conference.