The United States is becoming more and more diverse, but there is still a long way to go to diversify the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Scientist Nicole Cabrera Salazar shares her perspective on diversity in STEM and the reasons we should be actively engage underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines.


Nicole E. Cabrera Salazar was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in Miami, Florida. A first generation college student, she received her Bachelor's degree in Physics from Georgia Tech in 2009. Now an astronomy PhD student at Georgia State University, Nicole spends part of her time collaborating with the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics of Grenoble (IPAG) in France. She is also a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Chateaubriand Fellowship, which allow her to continue her international research on exoplanets orbiting young Suns. Nicole will be speaking about the importance of making STEM more inclusive of women and minorities, not only from a social justice perspective but also as a boon to the U.S. economy.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx