This March, as we observe Women's History Month, the Kenyon Women Giving Back series continues with an alumnae panel on equity in STEM. Tune in to this virtual event to hear Marty Baylor '98 and Nia Imara '03 discuss their careers as physicists, as well as the paths they took to get there.

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Meet our Alumnae Panelists

Martha-Elizabeth "Marty" Baylor '98, Carleton College's chair of physics and astronomy and professor of physics, is a national leader in promoting inclusion, diversity and equity (IDE) in physics and STEM as a whole. She completed her PhD in physics in 2007 at the University of Colorado at Boulder where her thesis was "Analog Optoelectronic Independent Component Analysis for Radio Frequency Signals." As part of funding through the NSF IGERT Program, she was able to do an internship for Hans Laser in Shenzhen China working with high power lasers for engraving applications. The recipient of a $200,000 grant from the American Physical Society (APS), Baylor is developing a program which will improve physics educators' ability to address IDE challenges that occur in a physics classroom context.

Artist and astrophysicist Nia Imara '03 uses her work to express her love of color, people, and their stories. An oil painter inspired by literature and black culture, Dr. Imara is also an astronomy professor who explores the mysteries of star birth in the Milky Way and other galaxies throughout the universe. Her public presentations on the intersection of art and science have been received by audiences at venues around the country. Imara is the founder/director of Onaketa, a nonprofit organization that provides free STEM tutoring, scholarships, and other educational resources for black and brown children.

The first direct detection of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger 1.3 billion years ago occurred on Sept. 14, 2015. This monumental discovery was also the first direct observation of a binary black hole merger. The moderator for this event, Associate Professor of Physics Maddie Wade, was fortunate enough to be part of this historical moment in science! Wade is a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and works as a data analyst on the experiment. She works on calibration of the LIGO interferometers, identifying noise transients in LIGO data, and searches for gravitational waves from the inspiral and merger of two massive, compact objects, such as neutron stars and black holes. Wade received her Doctor of Philosophy and her Collegiate Teaching Certificate from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She received her Bachelor of Science from Bates College.

Can't make it to this event? Check out our YouTube channel after the event to view a recording. 

Kenyon is committed to creating inclusive events. This event will feature optional live streamed captions. Please contact us to discuss other access considerations needed to participate fully in this event.