The SACNAS meeting is a special space for diverse scientists. I’m originally from Mexico, and there are not a lot of Latinx heavy ion physicists. It is good to connect with other physicists and scientists in an environment where we can bring our full selves, to include our science and also our cultures, where diversity is celebrated and valued. Diverse teams bring new perspectives and are more likely to come up with innovative ideas. And particularly for early career scientists, for undergraduates and graduate students, many of whom are attending their first scientific conference, it can be a very inspiring, energizing, and empowering experience to meet other people who are going through some of the same things they are, to know they are not alone, and to know that it is possible to succeed, not “in spite of” but rather “because of” our diverse backgrounds.
Arriving at SACNAS, our Hawaiian hosts welcome everyone with a Lei, symbolizing friendship and honoring all guests.
UCSD set up an Ofrenda for Dia de Muertos. We were all encouraged to bring a photo to honor one of our dead. I brought a photo of my father, who would have really enjoyed hearing all the Science news discussed at SACNAS.
Every plenary session, Dr. Brittany Kamai, astrophysicist working on gravitational waves as part of the LIGO collaboration, had the audience making waves with her infectious enthusiasm.
During the first poster session, I got the opportunity to meet some amazing students, and discussed their work on e.g. photobiomodulation with nanoparticles, modeling the discharge behavior of super capacitors, measuring electric fields given out by fish, and the prospects for measuring neutrino oscillations with DUNE.
During Conversations with Scientists, I get the opportunity to chat with students and answer questions, about my research, about applying to graduate school, and mentoring students about possible career paths. It is one of my favorite parts of the conference, as it is freely flowing and the conversations will go wherever the students want.
There are many panels, workshops, and Scientific Symposia all around the conference. One of my favorite panels on Scientific Communication discussed why many of the amazing panelists went into this field: to advocate for DACA dreamers, to make our ancestors proud, to support African American kids, to bringing your authentic self and help others dealing with mental health/depression, and to connect with our roots. The panelists included many fantastic people: Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Becca Calisi, Danielle Lee, Corey Gray from the Blackfoot Nation, and Evelyn Valdez-Ward.
Lolita Adkins from UCD Undergraduate Research Center and Renetta Tull, our UCD VC for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion were strong supporters of UC Davis students coming to SACNAS. A few of the awesome students I got to meet were Midori Huapaya-Renbarger, Carlos Ruvalcaba, and Lajoyce Mboning (from Cameroon!).
Getting to meet some of my colleagues who I might not otherwise cross paths with was also a big reason why this was such a great experience. Prof. Crystal Rogers is a passionate leader and mentor, and I was thrilled to meet her.
During the second poster session.
Bringing our full selves with Prof. Becca Calisi, a huge advocate for diversity. It was great to honor our families and ancestors wearing huipiles and guayaberas at the SACNAS meeting.
During the screening of Secrets of the Universe. It was a pleasure to share the film with the diverse audience at SACNAS, and even better that it was so well received!
The UC Davis SACNAS Familia!