Murray State ADVANCE will welcome Ramon Barthelemy on Feb. 22 to present “Queering STEM: A History of the Queer Rights in the USA and LGBT+ Advocacy in STEM.”

Ramon Barthelemy is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy from the University of Utah. His presentation will focus on queer civil rights in the United States, which were won through direct activism and organization of a diverse group of people. 

The research presented at this event will highlight the concerning work climate for LGBT+ physicists and even more concerning for people of color and trans people The ADVANCE website said. 

ADVANCE is a grant-funded program designed to promote the recruitment and retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at universities, including Murray State. 

ADVANCE program coordinator Reigh Kemp said with support from University administration, services can be expanded across campus and beyond women in STEM. 

Kemp said the event aims to educate the campus community, especially on biases 

that people in the workforce face. 

“Women are not the only people that come across bias, and Ramon has a lot of experience with faculty and staff in STEM and the biases that occurred specifically with the LBGT+ community,” Kemp said. “Still, there’s historically been a marginalized group in STEM that has received a lot of backlash across history in that field.” 

It’s important the STEM industry promotes diversity, says Robin Zhang, chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and acting principal investigator (PI) of ADVANCE.

“STEM fields are projected to have a higher job growth rate and higher salary,” Zhang said. “Broadening participation is essential to support the projected job growth and sustain the economic competitiveness of the U.S., and it is imperative to provide many individuals in diverse populations the opportunity to earn a higher wage and become more socially mobile.”

Zhang said EES is traditionally a male-dominated field, but she has seen an increase in women majoring in EES programs at the University.

Currently, the Earth and Environmental Science program has 65 undergraduate students and nine graduate students. Zhang said more than half of the students are women, which encourages more to get involved in the field. 

“For eight out of the 20 years while at MSU, I was the only tenured women faculty in the department, and I am still the only woman full professor in EES,” Zhang said. “As the chair of the department, I have occasionally heard comments from prospective students that they were delighted to meet a woman.” 

Kemp said students should attend this event to learn how to support their peers and faculty members as well as  the experiences they may face.  

“We live in a very rural community, and it’s not always the safest environment for professors to feel like they’re able to come out,” Kemp said. “It would be beneficial for students to understand that and the struggles professors go through—the biases they receive from other professors, other people around town and even students in this area.” 

The presentation will be open to faculty, staff and students from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A conversation with students will follow from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and a conversation with faculty from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Snacks and lunch will be provided at the event.