STC Board of Directors Chair Sandra Begay recently presented at a workshop on “Women of Color in STEM,” hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Her presentation focused on the state of American Indians and Alaska Natives in STEM and an overview of the DOE Indian Energy/Sandia Labs internship program. The presentation was part of a panel, “Current Initiatives and Programs,” moderated by Valerie Taylor, Director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Fellow panelists included Shawndra Hill, Senior Researcher in the Computational Social Science Group at Microsoft Research, Gilda Barabino, Dean of Engineering at City College of New York, and Akua Asa-Awuku, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. The workshop was held on November 10, 2017 at the Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, DC.
Ms. Begay is a Principal Member of the Sandia National Laboratory Technical Staff. She heads Sandia’s technical efforts in the DOE Renewable Energy Program to assist Native American tribes with renewable energy development. She also created and runs the DOE/Sandia innovative summer internship program for Native American undergrad and graduate STEM students. The students come from universities and colleges across the U.S. to learn about and work on renewable and alternative energy projects. Ms. Begay recently received the Alumni Circle Award from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) for her lifetime contributions to the advancement of Native American students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and careers.
Founded in 1863 and located in Washington, DC, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Visit the website at http://www.nationalacademies.org/.