SCIENCE FOR ALL

THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHICANOS/ HISPANICS AND NATIVE AMERICANS IN SCIENCE (SACNAS) “IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GO FOR OPPORTUNITIES,” SAYS PARKER GUZMAN, SACNAS UNDERGRADUATE CHAPTER PRESIDENT AND BIOLOGY MAJOR. Since 2021, two professors have been serving as SACNAS advisors for the College of Science student community: Naina Phadnis from the SBS and Holly Sebahar from the Department of Chemistry. More recently, SACNAS captured the attention of Rodolfo Probst, who completed a PhD in biology at the U and is now a postdoctoral fellow for the College of Science’s Student Research Initiative (SRI). He offers support as an advisor and mentor.

In 2022, Probst accompanied students to Puerto Rico, where SACNAS held the National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference. Paying it forward, in April of 2023, Guzman and Palepoi Gilmore, a first year medical student in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, created and hosted a local version of the NDiSTEM. Here, students could connect to other SACNAS members, network, gain access to resources, and find a place to present their research without the pressures often found in formal academic spaces.

“Sometimes,” says Guzman, “you feel pressure to perform if you're presenting, or as a student, you might feel a sense of hierarchy that is always pervasive.” At SACNAS conferences, however, there is a sense of community and support, alleviating that pressure. Probst concurs: “Folks are kinder and engage with purpose. The atmosphere creates that, and it’s a celebration of diversity of backgrounds, research, and ideas.”

Another version of this story by CJ Siebeneck can be found at science.utah.edu/news.