The Department of Sociology's Dr. Agnes Calliste African Heritage Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Kevin Hewitt (he/him), NSERC Chair for Inclusion in Science and Engineering, Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University. This year's lecture addresses social justice, injustice and STEM: Connecting these ideas for better health outcomes and increased participation.
Dr. Hewitt's lecture will discuss how numerous studies have found that those underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are motivated by service to community, that they are pushed out when there is not a strong connection between STEM and society and are disenchanted by the lack of opportunities to pursue work related to social justice and activism in their STEM environments. He will invite the audience to consider how until we make the connection between STEM and the goals that drive their interests, we will continue to see few underrepresented students enter and remain in the field.
All are welcome!