A Legacy of Inclusion
The Inclusion Symposium wraps up KCGIP’s summer Inclusion Workshop series, which typically runs throughout the summer following Professional Development and Orientation Week in June. The series serves to empower students with tools to build the foundational knowledge, empathy and emotional intelligence necessary to become inclusive leaders and allies. The half-day event typically includes invited speakers, a panel discussion and multiple networking sessions. In addition to the keynote and panel discussions, the symposium typically features student speeches, providing a platform for emerging voices to share their perspectives on intentional inclusion. By bringing together students, alumni and professionals, event organizers endeavor to build a community of leaders with empathy, knowledge and emotional intelligence to drive meaningful change in their fields.
2024
The 8th Annual Inclusion Symposium featured the theme, “Using Your Voice: Intentional Inclusion,” and focused on fostering meaningful action toward diversity and inclusion within the scientific community. The 2024 keynote speaker was André Isaacs, associate professor at the College of the Holy Cross. Peter Schwarz, a Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program (Optics track, 2017) alum, delivered the opening remarks.
The symposium included a panel discussion with esteemed experts:
- Maria Dulay is a senior research scientist & lab manager at Stanford University’s DeSimone Lab, and director of Stanford's Center for STEMM Mentorship. Dulay is also an advocate for a respectful and transparent academic culture.
- Midhat Farooq is senior careers program manager at the American Physical Society. Her work is driven by a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and she specializes in mentoring and career development for students and early-career scientists.
- David Degnan is a KCGIP Bioinformatics alum. He develops web tools and statistical analyses for multi-omics data applied to environmental and human health problems.
- Bashar Haidar is a KCGIP Optics alum and current employee at Intel, where he contributes to the development of world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.
- Jess Nelson is a KCGIP Semiconductors alum and technical product support engineer at Applied Materials. Their inclusive approach, which engages peers, faculty and staff equitably and accessibly, fosters the kind of community we aspire to create.
The 2024 symposium underscored KCGIP’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This year, the workshop series and event were opened to Knight Campus doctoral candidates from the Department of Bioengineering.
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2023
The 7th Annual Inclusion Symposium explored the theme, “Navigating Bias and Stereotypes Through Cultural Experiences,” spotlighting diverse perspectives on identity, equity, and belonging within STEM. The 2023 keynote speaker was Tony Baylis, Director of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The event opened with remarks from Leah Stromberg, a 2016 KCGIP Polymer track alum and Technical Sales Representative at Azelis Americas. Student speakers included Nav Chidambaram (Molecular Sensors and Biotechnology), Dove Enicks (Bioinformatics and Genomics), and Emma Speight (Photovoltaics and Semiconductors), each offering powerful reflections on their academic journeys and personal identities.
Sam Stansell, a 2019 KCGIP Semiconductors alum and Senior Quality Engineer at QuantumScape, moderated the Inclusion Leadership Panel. Panelists included:
- Carol Guerrero, J.D. (Director of DEI, Neurocrine Biosciences),
- Boubacar Wane (Engineer, Covalent Metrology),
- Dr. Alex de Verteuil (Senior Scientist Program Manager, Abcam), and
- Christopher Riley (Staff Engineer, Lumotive Inc.).
As the culminating event of the Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program’s Inclusion Workshop Series, the 2023 symposium affirmed KCGIP’s commitment to equity, community, and inclusive leadership.
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2022
The 6th Annual Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program Inclusion Symposium took place in-person on August 26, 2022, in the gleaming new Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact (and new home for the KCGIP). The Symposium included opening remarks, a panel of industry leaders and alumni, student speakers and a keynote by Shay Miller, director of global talent acquisition at Lattice Semiconductor.
Tony Baylis, director of diversity and inclusion for Lawrence Livermore National Lab, opened the symposium with welcoming remarks focused on the importance inclusive leadership and the relationships we build. Speeches by students Anna Miller and Alex Kha, both from the Semiconductor Track, were emotional, vulnerable and powerful.
The Inclusion Leadership Panel was moderated by Askim Senyurt, Ph.D., Senior Program Leader at Owens Corning, and featured:
- Rose Marie Haynes, Cryo-EM Microscopist & Biochemist – Pacific NW National Lab
- Shoji Hishida, Photolithography Process Engineer – Keysight Technologies
- Shula Jaron, Ph.D., Head of New Product – Poppy Health
- Thomas McCaleb, Director, Talent Acquisition – II-IV Incorporated
- RK Narayanan, Ph.D., Senior Director, Business Development and Technology Transfer – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)
- Samantha Ruelas, Materials Scientist – Lawrence Livermore National Lab
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2021
More than 70 students, staff, alumni and industry leaders gathered virtually for the 2021 Inclusion Symposium on Thursday Sep 21, 2021. Opening remarks were offered by Knight Campus VP and Executive Director, Bob Guldberg. Students gave speeches on how DEI and the program’s workshops had made personal impacts on them.
Senior Panelists included:
- Dana Alegre, Bioinformatics Analyst, Oregon State University (UO MS Biology ‘16)
- Tony Baylis, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
- Zachary Blatz, Clinical Trial Manager, Eli Lilly and Company (UO MS Chemistry ‘11)
- Kristen Hill, Sr. Product Line Manager, Synrad (UO MS Applied Physics ‘12)
- Juan Carlos Ramos, Ph.D., R&D Engineering Manager, HP
Student speakers included:
- Miguel Alba, MS Applied Physics Candidate, Semiconductor Track
- Kitmin Chen, MS Chemistry Candidate, Molecular Sensors & Probes Track
- Karly Knox, MS Chemistry Candidate, Polymer Science Track
- Jess Nelson, MS Physics Candidate Semiconductor Track
- Natascha Reich, MS Applied Physics Candidate, Optics Track
The event concluded with roundtable discussions facilitated by the following alumni:
- Erin Brown, Applied Physicist, Nanohmics (UO MS Applied Physics, ‘18)
- Sally Claridge, Ph.D. Candidate, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (UO MS Biology ‘18)
- Elisabeth Sherry, Supply Chain Engineer, Intel (UO MS Chemistry ‘16)
- Ben Taber, Adjunct Instructor, Central Oregon Community College (UO MS Physics ‘13, UO PhD Chemistry ’18)
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2020
More than 60 alumni, students, staff, and industry leaders gathered virtually for the 2020 Inclusion Symposium, September 22-24, 2020. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Mary Ellen Moore, a seasoned engineer and founder of the non-profit S.T.E.M. Community Outreach, and the for-profit company S.T.E.M. Discoveries, LLC. The event featured student speakers Sophia Kea, Kupaaikekaiao Thomas, and Haleigh Patten-Trujillo. They shared personal stories that underscored the importance of being able to express identity, not making assumptions about others’ identities, allyship and actions.
The event featured an alumni panel and senior leadership panel. Panelists shared stories about facing discrimination, overcoming cultural isolation, and strategies to be leaders in inclusion, no matter where employees rank within a company. In her address titled More Than a Checkbox, Dr. Moore challenged participants to widen their definition of diversity to include a wide gamut of cultural differences and strengths, to share their stories, to be aware of their assumptions and unconscious biases and to make “smart demands” – real, actionable ideas for change.“
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2019
Students and alumni gathered with industry leaders at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Saturday, August 17, 2019, to highlight the importance of inclusion and diversity in STEM at the 3rd Annual Inclusion Symposium. Initially scheduled to take place at the UO's White Stag Building, the event was moved to OMSI's location across the river in an effort to avoid disruption during planned protests in downtown Portland that day. Unfortunately, the event was interrupted when the building was put on lockdown due to security concerns as a Proud Boys rally marched through the OMSI parking lot, underscoring the need for the conversations held within. The event proceeded as planned. Topics include an examination of identity, leveraging privilege for the benefit of others, handling microaggressions, engaging in challenging conversations, company culture, mentorship and allyship.
Four current students gave powerful speeches about their personal journeys in inclusion and diversity:
- Pilar Gonzalez (Polymer track)
- Suzanna Officer (Optics track)
- Anastasiya Prymolenna (Bioinformatic & Genomics)
- Samuel Roland (Polymer track)
The Senior Leaders Panel featured:
- Shay Miller, Sr. Talent Acquisition Partner, Adaptive Biotechnologies
- Dr. Mary Moore, Engineer, Raytheon STEM Entrepreneur, S.T.E.M. Community Outreach
- Alicia Scott, Director, Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Management, ON Semiconductor
- Dhruti Trivedi, Program Manager - Advanced Technology, Thermo Fisher Scientific
The Alumni Panel featured:
- Robert Gianan, Development Engineer, General Automation Lab Technologies
- Michael Loder, Sr. Multi 0Disciplined Engineer, Raytheon
- Sam Sivagnanam, Computational Biologist Research Associate, Oregon Health and Sciences University
- Alex Wert, Battery Engineer, Boeing
- Carly Wright, Optical Engineer, Northrup Grumman
Read More About the 2019 Symposium
2018
The second annual Inclusion Symposium brought seasoned alumni and senior industry leaders to downtown Portland for the sixth summer symposium and the second year since the the evolution of the event from a Women's Symposium to one that is gender inclusive. This year's event included the best attendance by alumni to date and allowed current students an opportunity to learn from those already established in their careers during two scheduled networking sessions. Hosted at the UO's White Stag building in downtown Portland on Saturday, August 25, 2018, the event included two panels: senior industry leaders and alumni. This year, for the first time, students from the current program cohort gave impassioned speeches on what inclusion means to them.
The Senior Leaders Panel included:
- KD Kerr, Electron Microscopy & X-Ray Microscopy Specialist, Carl Zeiss Microscopy
- Jason Donald, Sr. Applications Development Mgr., Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Dr. Lauren Huffman, TS&D Manager - Lubricants and Specialty Fluids, The Dow Chemical Company
- Dr. Meg Pirrung, User Experience Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Lab
- Dr. Askim Senyurt, Senior Materials Innovator, Nike
The Alumni Panel included:
- Zach Blatz, Sr. Trainer - Global Product Management, Covance
- Christy Cunningham, Science Operations Specialist, Gemini Observatory
- Jeena Lee, Software Engineer, Urban Airship
- Robert Leonard, Applications Engineer, National Instruments
- Elisabeth Sherry, Supply Chain Engineer, Intel
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2017
The Master's Industrial Internship Program hosted its first Inclusion Symposium at the White Stag Building in downtown Portland August 26. The symposium marks an evolution of the Women's Network Symposium hosted the past four years. The event was hosted at the White Stag in downtown Portland. Long-time program supporter and Delphon CEO Jeanne Beacham was honored with the Excellence in Mentorship of Early Career Scientists Award for her unwavering support. The keynote speaker this year was alumnae Mahnaz Milani, then an Engineering Program Manager at Intel.
The symposium included a Senior Leaders Panel:
- Isabelle Ferain Sr. Manager/Deputy Director, GLOBALFOUNDRIES
- Takiya Ahmed Foskey, Research Scientist, The Dow Chemical Company
- Jan Kleinert, Research Mgr, Electro Scientific Industries
- Deb Koehn,Assoc. Director, Human Resources, Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Laura Stratton, Director of Research & Development, Polymer Chemistry Innovations
The Alumni Panel featured
- Kristen Norton, Product Mananger, Zemax
- Darlene Reid, Suface Chemist, FIB Microscopist, Analytial Answers, Inc.
- David Raschko, Principle Test Engineer, FormFactor
- Amanda Siedschlag, Process Engineer, Intel
- Caleb Van Buskirk, Post-Masters Researcher, Los Alamos National Lab