Miami, Oct. 16, 2020 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) School of Science will host the 9th Annual MDC School of Science STEM Research Symposium at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. The virtual conference will focus on the training and recognition of up emerging researchers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Opening remarks will be delivered by MDC Interim President Dr. Rolando Montoya.
The symposium will be virtual for the first time and include a combination of pre-recorded and live content, allowing attendees an opportunity to direct message the speakers and presenters. The symposium will feature the original research of more than 100 MDC students who worked alongside scientists at MDC and top local universities – including the University of Florida, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Atlantic University, and St. Thomas University – as part of the MDC School of Science’s Summer STEM Research Institute and year-round research program. These high-quality research projects cover a wide variety of fields, including biology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and genetics.
“The year has been a challenging one due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the symposium will be as dynamic and enriching as previous years and will showcase the resilience of our talented students, faculty, and STEM staff in producing and presenting authentic undergraduate research work,” said School of Science Dean Dr. Victor Okafor.
Dr. Dadilia Garces Mejia, professor in the physician assistant program at MDC Medical Campus, will serve as keynote speaker and share her journey into the field of community health, including work in situations where the intervention of psychosocial factors made enormous differences in the health of communities. Dr. Garces has also worked in Trinidad and Tobago with the United Nation as a medical volunteer.
The Undergraduate STEM Research Institute and the associated symposium are unique opportunities for undergraduate students to experience life as a STEM professional. Through these activities, they learn the necessary steps to take a research question from the first stages of the scientific method through the process of research and analysis and finally to presentation of results. This experience has proven invaluable to previous participants, many of whom have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in STEM fields, or joined the workforce in these areas.
WHAT: 9th Annual MDC STEM Research Symposium
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. – 12:15
WHERE: Link: https://symposium.foragerone.com/assrs20
For more information, please contact Dr. Victor I. Okafor, Dean of the School of Science, at 305-237-1757 or vokafor@mdc.edu.