Welcome, Bienvenido, Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Benvenuto, Boa Vinda, etc.
Organization for Cultural Diversity
in Chemistry
QUARTERLY P&G LECTURE SERIES
This fall, we were fortunate enough to start our P&G lecture series with Prof
Eloy Rodriguez,
a well-reknown Chicano scientist from Cornell University. Prof Rodriguez is the
James A Perkins Endowed Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies and an AAAS fellow. His research
crosses the traditional barriers between biology, chemistry, zoology,
ecology, toxicology, and
anthropology, and connects evolutionary biodiversity to the preservation of human
health and indigenous cultures. His work has even created a new research discipline
called
Zoopharmacognosy, which is the study of how animals medicate themselves. With labs
in the Carribean and the Amazon, he has explored the organic chemistry of many
natural products from plants, insects, and fungi and has been fundamental in
rainforest medicine research.
In addition to his many scientific awards and accomplishments, Prof Rodriguez is
actively involved in science education and strongly encourages minorities to pursue science. Not only does he have a
diversity of graduate and undergraduate students in his research lab, but he has
also founded several outreach
programs aimed at getting more young minorities interested in science. He has been the P.I. for several programs including
the
California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) sponsored by NSF and Kids Investigating and Discovering Science (KIDS)
sponsored by the American Honda Foundation. Click the link below to watch a Youtube video and learn more about Prof
Rodriguez.
Mission Statement
The Organization for Cultural Diversity in Chemistry strives to create a close-knit community among the
graduate students in the sciences, with an emphasis in cultural diversity through the underrepresented
groups at UCLA. The primary goal of our organization is to engage its members in activities that will
help project a positive portrayal of underrepresented groups in the sciences, not only to prospective
high school and college students, and the public at large, but also to the academic and scientific
community to which we have access. Thanks to the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble, we provide
networking opportunities in both academia and industry by inviting well-known scientists, who belong
to underrepresented groups, from across the country who are leaders in their fields in all divisions
of chemistry and biochemistry. The quarterly Procter & Gamble Lecture is open to the scientific
community and provides the setting for scientific and social interactions between students and
professors by hosting receptions for all invited speakers.
