In her recent book, “The Alchemy of Us,” Dr. Ainissa Ramirez showcases little-known inventors — particularly people of color and women.
An award-winning scientist, science communicator and author, Ainissa Ramirez will speak at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at UCSB Campbell Hall.
In her recent book, “The Alchemy of Us,” Dr. Ramirez showcases little-known inventors — particularly people of color and women — who had a significant impact but whose accomplishments have been hidden by mythmaking, bias and convention. Doing so shows us the power of telling inclusive stories about technology.
She also reveals that innovation is universal, whether it’s splicing beats with two turntables and a microphone or splicing genes with two test tubes and CRISPR.
Dr. Ramirez is known for her passion about getting the general public excited about science. A graduate of Brown University, she earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering from Stanford. She started her career as a scientist at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J., and later worked as an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Yale.
Besides her books, “The Alchemy of Us” and “Save Our Science,” Dr. Ramirez co-authored “Newton’s Football.” She has written for Forbes, Time, The Atlantic, Scientific American, American Scientist and Science and has explained science headlines on CBS, CNN, NPR, ESPN and PBS.
Dr. Ramirez speaks widely on the topics of science and technology. Her TEDxBroadway talk on science education explores the importance of creating excitement among young people about science through the arts.
She has won prizes from the National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the American Institute of Physics. She speaks internationally on the importance of making science fun.
She has served as a science advisor to the American Film Institute, WGBH/NOVA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and several science museums. She also hosts a science podcast called “Science Underground.”Her free lecture is sponsored by UCSB Arts & Lectures. For more information and registration, visit www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
