Miami, June 1, 2018 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Homestead Campus will once again offer the groundbreaking MDC Microbiology Girls Club on June 11 – 12 and June 18 – 19, led by Assistant Professor Dr. M. Nia Madison and funded by a L’Oréal USA For Women in Science’ Changing the Face of STEM mentoring grant.
The Microbiology Girls Club will host two cohorts of 24 minority girls each from MAST Academy and Homestead Senior High Schools. They will participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workshops, conduct exciting experiments at the Homestead Campus’ microbiology lab, attend lectures and tour facilities.
In addition to MDC faculty, this year’s guest speakers include Dr. Catalina Aguilar, NOAA’s Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division; University of Miami Professor Dr. Sadeaqua S. Scott; Barry University Professor Dr. Leticia Vega; FIU Associate Dean of Research Dr. Rita Teutonico; University of Miami postdoctoral fellows Dr. Christina Cordero and Dr. Michelle Miranda; and North Carolina State University postdoctoral research scholar Dr. Edikan Archibong Ogunnaike.
Now in its second year, the Changing the Face of STEM program supports former L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellows in their efforts to inspire the next generation of girls in STEM.
“As a two-time Changing the Face of STEM grantee, this program has enabled me to create and now expand the reach of my Miami Dade College Microbiology Girls Club,” said Dr. Madison. “Bringing minority high school girls to a college campus and exposing them to careers in biomedical sciences is crucial to increasing the representation of women in STEM.”
Dr. Madison is a 2010 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellow. In addition to teaching at MDC, she is a biomedical scientist with more than a decade of research experience in retrovirology, parasitology and host innate immune responses.
About the L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowship Program
The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program annually recognizes and rewards five U.S.-based women researchers for their outstanding contributions in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Recipients receive $60,000 each to advance their postdoctoral research. Launched in 2003 as the U.S. component of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Fellowships, the program has awarded 70 postdoctoral women scientists over $3.5 million in grants. The program’s U.S. partner, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), manages the peer-review and selection process.
MDC Media-only contacts: Juan Mendieta, MDC director of communications, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu; Hessy Fernandez, director of media relations, 305-237-3949, hfernan5@mdc.edu; Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu, or Allison Horton, 305-237-3359, ahorton2@mdc.edu.
This and other MDC releases are available on the web at www.mdc.edu.
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