CCD Announcements / Events
CCD programming, support structures, and campus organizations are open to anyone in the campus community, regardless of race, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual identity, and/or any other protected characteristic.
2025 For Women in Science (FWIS) Awardee Georgia Squyres
NEW YORK, NY (November 12, 2025) – Today, L'Oréal USA revealed the 2025 For Women in Science (FWIS) awardees, providing five women postdoctoral scientists grants to advance their research. The program, a cornerstone of L'Oréal USA's efforts over twenty-one years, reflects the unwavering commitment to supporting women in shaping their future and making a difference in society through scientific research. The 2025 FWIS cohort represents a dynamic range of research focus areas, including physiology, sensory biology, microbiology, biomedical engineering, and developmental biology.
Georgia Squyres, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), investigates the complex world of bacterial communities, specifically biofilms. These communities often see bacteria taking on specialized roles to execute intricate group tasks. Georgia employs advanced microscopy to observe these biofilms in real-time, meticulously documenting where, when, how, and why they perform their designated functions. Controlling bacterial biofilms is an urgent medical need – new treatments for biofilm infections could save tens to hundreds of thousands of lives every year, build a deeper understanding of our planet, and develop new methods for agriculture and industry.
Congratulations Georgia!
Meet the molecular biologist shining light on the mysteries of bacterial "slime"
Rising Tide 2024
This year, the CCE and BBE Divisions have teamed up to continue our new summer research training program, Rising Tide, and we need your help to mentor the incoming students!
Mentors are needed in: Synthetic Chemistry (both organic and inorganic), Analytical Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, and Biochemistry/Chem Bio.
Please complete the interest form linked below if you would like to learn more! I will be hosting an informational session soon (time and date, TBD) for those who are interested in participating.
Interest Form: https://forms.gle/daojhYhTYL9Dfp3h7
Some information about Rising Tide:
Rising Tide is a research techniques training program that is directed at increasing the participation of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in science and engineering Ph.D. programs by making Caltech's programs more visible and accessible to students not traditionally exposed to Caltech. The program is extended to, but not limited to, first generation college students, educationally or financially disadvantaged students, underserved students, women, geographically underrepresented students, and students with disabilities. This program is open only to visiting (non-Caltech) students with little to no prior research experience.
Program participants will receive crash-course in chemistry/biochemistry techniques training from Caltech graduate students or postdoctoral scholars (mentors) in subgroups of two or three students per mentor. The research techniques training will focus on: synthetic and analytical chemistry, computational or theoretical chemistry, and biochemistry.
The program will afford the participants the opportunity to rotate between mentors who specialize in each area, providing the program participants with increased exposure to different laboratories and workstyles in science. A tentative rotation plan is attached to this email. Mentors only need to volunteer for one rotation (~2 weeks).
The Rising Tide program runs for a six-week period, July 12 through August 23. Mentors are encouraged to collaborate with other members of their research groups to co-mentor the participants.
In summary, the Rising Tide program aims to foster diversity in science and engineering by increasing the participation of students historically marginalized in these fields through hands-on research training and, more generally, by increasing the visibility and accessibility of Caltech's programs to students not traditionally exposed to research.
Interest Form: https://forms.gle/daojhYhTYL9Dfp3h7
Please consider being a Rising Tide Mentor!
Caltech DIVE
Caltech's DIVE (Diversification Initiative through Veteran Education) offers veterans a unique 10-week journey through scientific research, focusing on synthetic biology and bioengineering. This program aims to equip participants with the necessary skills for success in both academic and research settings. Through collaborative projects and dedicated guidance, students will engage in the creation of bioengineered systems, culminating in a presentation of their work at the end of the 10-week program.
Caltech Connection
Are you interested in mentoring undergraduate students from a local community colleges or state school? Please consider joining Caltech Connection, a one-on-one peer mentoring program. Mentors will coach their mentees on a research or literature review project, aiming to provide them with skills and experiences that will help them be successful when applying for research internships.
See the attached flier and sample project description for more details. If you would like more information, including the application link and details for an upcoming information session, please fill out the Google form at https://bit.ly/ccmentor24 Note: must be logged into a Caltech email account to access the form. (Try opening in an Incognito tab, which will prompt you to sign in and then log in using your Caltech email and password)
CCID will release their calendar of trainings for the 2023/24 academic year on September 1st, you can request training through the request form here: https://diversity.caltech.edu/programs-training
Women in Biology and Bioengineering at Caltech has organized a series of events to highlight potential career options for women in STEM and also give the opportunity to network.
As you already know, science can be a difficult field to navigate, especially for those who would like to venture outside of traditional career trajectories in academia and industry or for those who have had unconventional career paths leading up to their entry into the job market. Bearing this in mind, we have decided to host the WiBBE Careers event to inform women in BBE at Caltech about career options available to them in STEM, give current Caltech undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows the opportunity to network with women in BBE at Caltech with other women in science from across the LA area.
Event #1 of the series will be held May 5th at 2:30 in Chen 130. Event #2of the series will be held May 19th at 2:30 in Chen 100. The format of the event will be panel discussions with curated questions submitted in advance by the audience followed by a happy hour. We have attached the event flyer and will follow up closer to the event with bios for our panelists.
RSVP here: https://forms.gle/S7i5AVfs8gpUZ1vH9
We use an inclusive definition of "woman" and "female" and we welcome trans women, genderqueer women and non-binary people. We believe in supporting the many intersections of our members' identities, such as (but not limited to) race, sexual orientation, gender expression, socioeconomic class, and immigrant/indigenous status.
OASIS Holi Festival of Colors
Saturday, March 4, 2023, 11:00am to 4:00pm
Beckman Mall Lawn
All grad students and postdocs are invited to attend a BBE DEI Committee co-sponsored event—
OASIS Holi Festival of Colors. A celebration of peoples of the Indian subcontinent and beyond, celebrating the victory of good over evil and the advent of spring. Holi is a celebration of colors and we will spend the day throwing color powder and water balloons at each other. There will be tons of color, pichkaris (water pistons), food, drinks and more. Bring your whitest clothes to help you see the colors you come out with at the end of the day. The event will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Beckman Mall Lawn.
RSVP form: https://forms.gle/dhaDSZP6RVS9zpSL6
Town Hall on Disability Justice in Higher Ed
Saturday, Feb. 25th from 10:30am - 12pm PST (online)
You are invited to attend the Caltech BBE DEI Committee-sponsored "Town Hall on Disability Justice in Higher Ed" to be presented by the Graduate Student Action Network (GSAN) at the 36th Annual NAGPS National Conference on Saturday, Feb. 25th from 10:30am - 12pm PST. This event features nine disabled panelists who are current or recent graduate students at US institutions, who will facilitate discussion among attendees about accessibility barriers, ableism and its intersection with other forms of discrimination, and how the culture of academia needs to change. This virtual town hall is available as a standalone event, free of charge, and open to all. The breakout room titles and panelists are listed in the Town Hall program. To attend the Conference and/or Town Hall, please RSVP. If you would like to volunteer to support the event, please sign up here to serve as a note-taker or chat monitor in one of the breakout rooms.
Help Regeneron address health inequity by sharing your big ideas for increasing Black American participation in genetics research.
Ethical Orientations for Collegiality, Mentoring, and Teaching
Abstract: When Americans aren't ignoring inequities altogether, we focus on cultivating empathy for other people's hardships. Unfortunately, this approach only reinforces the status quo. In contrast, this workshop helps attendees see that changing our environments requires a laser focus on unearned advantages. Too often, people in dominant identity categories assume they are good and decent without reference to actual standards. However, operating ethically as a colleague, mentor, or teacher requires holding oneself to objective standards, not simply assuming you're good at your job because no one has compelled you to do it better.
Online event with Dr. Koritha Mitchell, Professional development expert who centers equity and justice.
Friday, May 6, 2022 - 10:00am to 12:30pm
The Justice Education Initiative at The Claremont Colleges is hosting a three-part series on reducing bias in the classroom.
Reducing Bias in the Classroom. Part 3: Inclusion and Allyship 2/16 11am PST
JEI workshop at The Claremont Colleges - Thursday, 2/17/2022 11am PST
Presenters: Ernst Fenelon and Leigh Lester - Zoom Link here
NSF AGEP Research University Alliance Faculty Job Search Workshops
How to Craft and Deliver an Effective Job Talk
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 3-4:30pm EDT (12-1:30pm PDT)
Presenter: Shoba Subramanian, Ph.D., Director of Curriculum and Educational Initiatives, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan
Chalk Talk Expectations & Approaches
Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 3-4:30pm EDT (12-1:30pm PDT)
Presenter: Dr. Stacey Glasgow, Assistant Professor, Division of Biological Science, Section of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego
Additional small-group mentoring sessions will be available by invitation after these sessions. Apply early to be considered for these bonus sessions.
Application Deadline: October 4, 2021
More Info & to Apply: http://postdocs.stanford.edu/rua
CCID STEMinar - Tuesday, 9/28/21 12pm PST
Dr. Anthony Covarrubias from UCLA - RSVP here
Summer Tutoring Job Opportunity for Caltech Students in BBE
DEI Conferences and Outreach for STEM
Spreadsheet of DEI-Related Conferences
P.E.E.R Program (June 21 - 30, 2021)
Derrick Morton – Assistant Professor Biomedical Science at Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
Volunteer as a Judge at Virtual ISEF 2021 (May 3-6, 2021)
Please send suggestions for announcements to bbe_dei…At…caltech.edu