Welcome to CATALYST!
We hope you and your family are safe and healthy this holiday season. First and foremost, let’s address the elephant in the room. What is CATALYST? Formerly known as the Marginalized and Underrepresented Community Alumni Network (MUCAN), the project has recently undergone a name change and will hereafter be titled CATALYST. We understand that this may be confusing but felt it was a necessary change, as one of our wonderful alumni pointed out that our previous name seems to institutionalize the very issue we aim to address. While the project has been renamed, our purpose remains the same:
We intend for CATALYST to create meaningful connections between currently enrolled BIPOC and underrepresented students (low-income, LGBTQIA+, etc) in STEM with alumni from similar backgrounds who either majored in the same fields, were on the pre-health and/or pre-med track at Occidental or currently work in STEM-related fields. This program is the first of its kind in our academic departments and one of the few present at our institution.
With that said, we’d like to invite you our very first monthly CATALYST newsletter! We plan to release newsletters on a regular basis to invite y’all “back to campus” for panels and talks, announce research/internship opportunities, feature alumni and student spotlights, and provide updates on our work. On behalf of our team, welcome to our CATALYST community and we look forward to collaborating with you!
Best,
The CATALYST Team
Our Story
This summer, several Occidental Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry students came together to discuss ways in which their respective academic departments can implement meaningful changes to empower and create a sense of belonging for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as students holding other historically underrepresented identities in STEM. This cohort of students, now formally known as the Students for Equity in STEM, gathered both in response to the national call to critically evaluate and reimagine the unjust and inequitable operations of existing systems, such as policing or academia, and with the understanding that all STEM fields have been and remain exclusionary to marginalized communities across the nation. Thus, acknowledging the numerous ways in which these fields continue to uphold white supremacy, this cohort came together to advocate for intentional community-building for Oxy students who embrace marginalized identities in science.
Meet the CATALYST Team
Other SEAS Projects
As you may be aware, CATALYST is one of several projects spearheaded by the student-led organization, Students for Equity and Advocacy in STEM (SEAS). If you’re interested in our other SEAS projects, keep reading!
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Program for Underrepresented Incoming STEM-interested Students (PROMISE):
During the Fall 2020 semester and in partnership with Professor of Biology at Occidental College John McCormack, we began drafting the creation of PROMISE: a five-week summer immersive and residential program intended to engage incoming junior and senior high school students from Los Angeles in STEM. The mission of PROMISE is to increase engagement in and raise accessibility to STEM education and opportunities for historically underrepresented high school students in STEM. Currently, we are working on building a framework to present to different campus constituents.
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Biology Equity and Action Representatives: BEARs:
The goal of the BEARSs group is to empower underrepresented students in STEM (BIPOC, first-gen, low-income, LGBTQIA+, etc.), hold the Biology department accountable in empowering underrepresented students, guide these students to Oxy-provided academic and professionals support, motivate and provide advising for students academically, socially, and professionally, bridge the gap between students and faculty, and challenge the belief of a “correct” college journey. Currently, we are preparing the launch of a pilot program.
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Chemistry Liaisons:
Through the Chemistry Liaisons program, the Chemistry Department hopes to empower underrepresented students in STEM. The chemistry liaisons will be one junior and one senior, who will coordinate with the department’s diversity and inclusion committee and host safe spaces for the student community to discuss classes, research, professional development opportunities, and the intersections of social justice and chemistry. The Chemistry Department hopes to launch the program in Spring 2021!