March 15, 2023

Clifton Sanders was the speaker for the second Hugo Rossi seminar this year. This lecture series is designed to bring to the university, faculty whose scholarly pursuits focus on STEM education. Clifton, a PhD graduate from Chemistry, the current Provost of Salt Lake Community College, and a University of Utah Distinguished Alumnus, talked about his STEM journey in his talk “Becoming and Belonging – A STEM Journey”.

To a group of approximately 70 people (including on zoom) in CSC 206, Clifton gave a moving and insightful talk about his journey as a Black person and first-generation person in STEM. He talked about the importance of the support from his parents and mentors he had during his career, gave sage advice about what effective mentors should do, and discussed what success looks like from multiple perspectives.

The Center for Science and Mathematics Education administers the Hugo Rossi Lecture Series which was named in honor of the CSME’s founding director. The lecture series is designed to bridge the College of Science and College of Education by attracting speakers whose scholarly pursuits include K-16 math/science education research.

The Hugo Rossi Lecture Series typically brings 4-6 speakers to campus each year. The College of Education, the School of Biological Sciences, and the departments of Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy are invited to nominate and host speakers. For information about the nomination process, please contact outreach@csme.utah.edu

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