Oct. 19: Spelman’s Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM to Hosts Speaker Series

Spelman’s Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM to Hosts Speaker Series

Kizzmekia Corbett, Ph.D., senior research fellow and scientific lead of the Coronavirus Vaccines and Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, is slated to be the inaugural guest in the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM "Women in STEM" speaker series.

The virtual lecture, presented in partnership with the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences, will take place at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29.

During her talk, Dr. Corbett will highlight her career journey as a viral immunologist. In addition, she will discuss the work that led her and her team toward the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccination, currently in Phase III clinical trials, and how the pandemic and the vaccine development process impacts the African American community.

The purpose of the series is to highlight the interdisciplinary work of women of color in STEM. The theme for this academic year is COVID-19.

For more information, and to register visit Spelman.edu.

Dr. Robert Brown and Spelman Junior Ciara Terry Discuss Voting Rights Issues During Virtual Democracy Panel

Ciara Terry, C’2022, joined other student leaders and activists to discuss the 2020 election, voter suppression and the coronavirus pandemic during a recent Interdisciplinary Collaborative Workshop event.

"Voter Suppression, Voting Rights, and the Struggle for Democracy," took place on Friday, Oct. 2, and was the third installment of the ICW’s fall 2020 public scholarship and teaching series.

During the conversation, Terry and other students highlighted the challenges many young voters face and pointed out strategies to combat ongoing issues related to voter suppression.

Young activists are taking the lead in efforts to involve young voters in the political process, noted Robert A. Brown, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Political Science.

"Some of these young leaders are dynamic," Dr. Brown said. "I believe those who attended the discussion walked away better informed about the major issues confronting the nation, their rights and how to get involved in the process."

Spelman’s Communications Director and Four Sophomores Honored During Inaugural Women of Color Initiative Awards Celebration

Members of the Spelman community were honored for their significant contributions made in scholarship, social justice, STEM and community building during the Women of Color Initiative’s inaugural virtual awards celebration.

WOCI Atlanta Collaborative in Higher Education is a city-wide strategic partnership between Spelman’s Student Success Program, the Center for Women and the Office of Racial and Cultural Engagement at Emory University, the Office of Minority Education and the Women’s Resource Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and STEM Atlanta Women, Inc.

Joyce E. Davis, Spelman’s director of marketing and communications, received the 2020 Women of Color Initiative Staff Impact Award. In addition, four Spelman sophomores, Alexis Parker, Erin Ojeda, Ireland Battle and Alondra Stafford received the 2020 WOCI Student Group Impact recognition.

Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., congratulated the winners in a recent letter to the community.

"As difficult as these times may be, we are buoyed by the resilience and determination of our Spelman students and staff members who continue to provide exceptional service for their school and their communities."

Sisters Chapel Leadership Seeks to Inspire and Connect in the Midst of COVID-19

Spelman’s Sisters Chapel is working to provide students with the spiritual grounding and sustenance needed as they navigate virtual learning during the ongoing pandemic.

Through monthly lunch and learns, mid-week prayer and meditation, and one-on-one pastoral care services, all via Zoom video conferencing, Rev. Neichelle Guidry, Ph.D., dean of Sisters Chapel and director of the WISDOM Center, said her team is trying their best to provide fellowship and sisterhood while apart.

On Sundays, the chapel staff hosts an 11 a.m. service, that is broadcast on YouTube and Facebook. The Sunday Evening Breathing Room, hosted by chapel intern Joselyn Spence, blends yoga, breathing and scripture as a way to invite students to get spiritually prepared for the week, said Dr. Guidry. And monthly lunch and learns teach students how to care for themselves spiritually.

"We’re trying to open up some new avenues for them to think theologically and think creatively about their spirituality, while also providing some really practical tools and practices that they can engage in in their own space while we are apart," said Dr. Guidry.

Alumna Becomes U.S. Army Colonel, Makes History

The U.S. Army has promoted a Spelman alumna to the rank of colonel, making her the first active-duty African American woman chaplain to receive such a promotion.

Chaplain Monica R. Lawson, C’92, was given the new status of colonel in a ceremony streamed live on Sept. 2.

"As an African American woman who has always been proud of the skin that I’m in, in this time, this is a bright spot in a sea of what seems to be darkness never-ending," Col. Lawson said during the ceremony.

Col. Lawson, a native of Five Points, Alabama, is also a graduate of the Interdenominational Theological Center’s Turner Theological Seminary.

Her military assignments include serving as a battalion chaplain at Fort Story, Virginia, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina; a family life chaplain at Fort Bliss, Texas; a deputy cadet command chaplain at Fort Knox, Kentucky; a command chaplain at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and a deputy Pentagon chaplain.