NFS Assistant Professor Meredith Niles' Food Systems PhD graduate student Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz was selected to be one of 40  fellows of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development.

“The Yale Ciencia Academy complements traditional graduate training with access to a diverse network of peers, role models and advisors”, said Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Principal Investigator and Director of the YCA. “The goal is to help students gain clarity in their academic and professional goals and become the scientists they want to be. We are excited about the talent and promise among this new class of YCA fellows.”  

 

Luis is interested in how policies shape our food systems, regarding food security and sustainability in island territories. He is also interested in how understanding farmers perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and beliefs shape how they adapt to withstand climate-related events.

 

Luis is from Puerto Rico, where he conducted research on communitarian factors related to food safety issues among small scale commercial fishermen, and research to develop culturally-appropriate education material to prevent childhood obesity. His goal is to go back to Puerto Rico with the required skillset to lead research that helps the Puerto Rican food system.

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 Contact:  Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, PhD 

 Director of Communications & Science Outreach, Ciencia Puerto Rico 

 Director of Outreach Training, Yale Ciencia Academy 

  moefeliu@cienciapr.org 

 (617) 850-5889 

 

 Yale Ciencia Academy welcomes a new class of young science leaders 

This week, 40 young science leaders will kick off their year as fellows of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development by attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Austin, TX (February 15-19, 2018). University of Vermont is represented through the participation of Luis Alexis Rodriguez-Cruz.  

The Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) for Career Development provides graduate students with opportunities for mentoring, networking, and skills development, and for making contributions to their communities through science outreach. The program is led by the non-profit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR), in collaboration with Yale University.  

Fellows must apply to be selected to participate in the year-long, mostly virtual program, which leverages the CienciaPR community—one of the largest networks of Hispanic/Latinx scientists in the world—to connect doctoral students in biological, biomedical, health and behavioral sciences with advisors, mentors and professional development opportunities. Through workshops and virtual conversations with successful scientists, participants can explore different careers, define their academic and career goals, expand their networks, and acquire communication and leadership skills. The program also allows students to have an impact on society through science outreach. In addition, participants attend an in-person meeting at the AAAS conference, where they participate in program-organized workshops and meeting sessions. 

“The Yale Ciencia Academy complements traditional graduate training with access to a diverse network of peers, role models and advisors”, said Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Principal Investigator and Director of the YCA. “The goal is to help students gain clarity in their academic and professional goals and become the scientists they want to be. We are excited about the talent and promise among this new class of YCA fellows.” 

Started in 2016 and funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), YCA has trained 74 young scientists from 36 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico to date. Over the past two years, YCA fellows have completed 55 outreach projects, including podcasts, lesson plans for educators, school visits, and articles and talks for the general public, impacting nearly 11,000 people. The 2018 class is composed of 40 students from 31 institutions nationwide.  

You can meet the full class of 2018 YCA Fellows here.  

 About Ciencia Puerto Rico 

CienciaPR is a nonprofit organization that connects over 8,600 Puerto Rican and Hispanic scientists, students, and educators worldwide through an innovative online platform. By leveraging its community’s collective knowledge, the organization has created thousands of resources to improve science education and help forge the next generation of Hispanic STEM leaders. 

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