LGBTQ+ in STEM Day - Colloquium and Cupcakes

Tuesday Nov 19, 2024, 2:00 PM → 4:00 PM Europe/Zurich

500/1-001 - Main Auditorium (CERN)

Carlin Kenneth Mackenzie, Savannah Rose Shively (University of California Irvine (US)), Steffi Bower (Florida State University (US))

Although LGBTQ+ in STEM day is officially on November 18th, we will celebrate LGBTQ+ people in STEM today with a series of talks from current/former CERN scientists. 

We will also have vegan, rainbow cupcakes just outside the main auditorium from Sweets by Pepper, a local LGBTQ+ baker, and funded by CERN DEI.

We are welcoming both CERN and general public participants! If you have questions about a talk, please wait until the end of the talk!

Read more about LGBTQ+ in STEM here: https://prideinstem.org/lgbtstemday/ 

LGBTQ+ CERN website: https://lgbtqcern.com/

CERN D&I: https://diversity-and-inclusion.web.cern.ch/

2:00 PM → 2:05 PM Welcome and Introductions

Speaker: Savannah Rose Shively (University of California Irvine (US))

LGBTQ+ in STEM Day Colloquium and Cupcakes!.pdf

2:05 PM → 2:20 PM LGBTQ+ CERN - History and Progress

The group that would eventually come to be known as the LGBTQ+ CERN Informal Network began to form in 2010. This talk covers what the network is, how it came to be, the challenges LGBTQ+ people in STEM continue to face, and what can be done.

Speaker: Savannah Rose Shively (University of California Irvine (US))

History of LGBTQ+ at CERN.pdf

2:20 PM → 2:30 PM The LGBT Experience

Speaker: Steffi Bower (Florida State University (US))

2:30 PM → 2:50 PM My journey in experimental particle physics

In this talk, I will share my personal journey in experimental particle physics, highlighting the challenges, discoveries, and milestones that have shaped my career. As an LGBTQ+ scientist, I will reflect on the importance of visibility and representation in STEM fields.

Speaker: Flavia de Almeida Dias (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))

FDias_LGBTQSTEMDay.pdf

2:50 PM → 3:10 PM String Theory and Hierarchy Problems

I will explain why the hierarchy problems of the Standard Models of Particle Physics and Cosmology are a natural target for research in quantum gravity. To demonstrate this I will exhibit explicit models that address aspects of the cosmological constant problem. - Jakob

Speaker: Jakob Moritz

slides_jakob_moritz.pdf

3:10 PM → 3:15 PM Come out, come out, wherever you are

Carlin introduces himself as the new secretary and presents a story about coming out at CERN

Speaker: Carlin Kenneth Mackenzie

3:15 PM → 3:35 PM Building Our Own Pride Flag

As a fun activity, everyone will come together to select (and invent a new name for!) their favorite colors on a custom color pallette. We will then use all of those colors to build a randomly generated pride flag.

Speaker: Jacob Henry Steenis (University of California Davis (US))

buildingOurOwnPrideFlag.pdf