By Brian Aguado
CU Café and the Postdoctoral Association of Colorado had the pleasure of co-hosting Ruthe Farmer and her mentee Alexa Adams on Wednesday, May 31st.
From her biography: “Ruthe Farmer has focused her efforts on diversity and inclusion in tech and engineering since 2001. She served as Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy focusing on President Obama’s call to action for Computer Science for All, and previously served as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer and K-12 Alliance Director at the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). Over the course of her career, Ms. Farmer has launched and scaled up multiple national programs including NCWIT Aspirations in Computing, the TECHNOLOchicas campaign for Latinas, AspireIT outreach program, Intel Design & Discovery, Lego Robotics for Girl Scouts and more.” Please follow the links and get involved with these fantastic organizations committed to inclusivity in STEM.
On May 31st, Ms. Farmer provided postdocs on campus with crucial tips on how to break into a career in science policy during her midday Career Talk. She argues that scientists have the appropriate skill set to advocate for evidence-based policy and should consider running for office. Postdoctoral fellows should start by make every effort to tap into existing resources and engage with the public through various outreach events and/or write for science blogs. During her afternoon seminar, Ms. Farmer argued that improving access to computer science is critical to improving STEM education at all stages of career training, especially in K-12 schools. She communicated her efforts in expanding CS education locally, gathering support from Governor Hickenlooper to expand access to CS education in public schools across Colorado. After her lectures, the PAC, CU Café, and students from the School of Education and the Computer Science department dined with Ms. Farmer at Zolo’s to continue the discussion on how to improve science communication efforts and create a welcoming community at CU Boulder.
We look forward to hosting future events with CU Café – please watch for future seminar and meet-the-speaker events!
Members of CU Café and the PAC with Ruthe Farmer and her mentee Alexa Adams.
Members of CU Café, the PAC, the School of Education, and the Computer Science department enjoying dinner with Ruthe Farmer.