{"id":208913,"date":"2018-09-12T11:58:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=208913"},"modified":"2018-09-12T11:58:33","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:58:33","slug":"promoting-student-diversity-in-stem-disciplines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2018\/09\/12\/promoting-student-diversity-in-stem-disciplines\/","title":{"rendered":"Promoting Student Diversity in STEM Disciplines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lora Billings, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, was invited to Brazil as a visiting scientist in the highly respected U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program. Representing U.S. women scientists, she was part of a 10-day program in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, S\u00e3o Paolo and Recife.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there, Billings and fellow visiting scientist Shweta Bansal from Georgetown University gave presentations; spoke with female high school and college students about the opportunities and challenges of STEM careers; and explored possibilities for establishing collaborative institutional partnerships. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our fast-paced tour of eight institutions and research facilities, Brazil showed the U.S. group that it has much to offer,\u201d says Billings. \u201cThe Brazilian institutions were open and innovative about ways to partner with Montclair State University. I\u2019m looking forward to developing these relationships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One focus of the program was on Brazil\u2019s young, diverse generation of future scientists who need role models and mentors. \u201cI feel strongly about promoting diversity in STEM fields coming from a discipline \u2013 mathematics \u2013 that typically reports it is less than 25 percent female,\u201d says Billings. \u201cI do think support groups, mentoring networks and strong role models make a difference and should be encouraged. We must continuously support all of our talented students throughout their educations and create a professional ecosystem that accepts diversity, values hard work and promotes respect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Billings also delivered presentations detailing her work in using stochastic models in epidemiology to audiences of scientists, researchers, professors and students in each city, as part of the program\u2019s focus on scientific collaborations that address public health issues related to recent disease outbreaks, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. \u201cThe interdisciplinary nature of this problem spans several colleges and schools at Montclair State and reaches our newest research areas, such as sustainability and data science,\u201d she explains. <\/span><\/p>\n

In S\u00e3o Paolo, Billings and Bansal met with physics professors and PhD students to explore possible opportunities for cooperation between Brazil\u2019s Institute of Theoretical Physics (IFT), Montclair State and Georgetown. \u201cI am open to developing exchange programs in any field that would result in new faculty research projects and experiential learning opportunities for students,\u201d she says. They also met with epidemiologists from the University of S\u00e3o Paulo Medical School who are interested in organizing interdisciplinary workshops to train future doctors to use mathematical modeling in their work. <\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program, which is sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, engages and connects American experts with Brazilian audiences, scholars and institutions through a series of lectures, workshops and seminars. Billings\u2019 participation in the program stemmed from her participation in the international conference, 1st Fluminense (from the state of Rio de Janeiro) Meeting of Women in Biomathematics.<\/span><\/p>\n