Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Sheldon Smith From left: LaKeisha McClary, Adrian Del Amo, Estefania Marcos and Beatriz Castro, all chemical engineering graduate students, chat about upcoming projects and future professional aspirations at the mixer held last night in the César E. Chávez building.

Students from diverse backgrounds and fields of study gathered together at a mixer yesterday to raise interest and retention for minority undergraduate students.

The Center for Materials and Device for Information Technology Research, the Latino Association of Graduate Students in Engineering and Science and the Black Graduate Student Association held the mixer.

"In the science, engineering and math fields we want to see more Americans, women and students of color going into these fields," said Nura Dualeh, assistant director of the McNair Achievement Program. "There is definitely a lack of representation. We are trying got turn it around, but it takes time."

In comparison to the rest of the world, the United States is producing fewer engineers. Some Asian nations have more than 500,000 people getting engineering degrees each year while the U.S. only produces about 70,000, Dualeh said.

Students who attended the mixer felt that diversity is important in these fields for various reasons.

"Usually those majors lead to careers with certain positions of power and those people, like scientists, determine a lot in society," said Irma Perez, a math junior. "So, if you have diversity there in these areas you are representing the population better because not only one type of people live in the U.S."

Alan Moghadden, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and biophysics, said diversity is important because different cultures developed the subjects and they are now underrepresented in those areas.

Along with the free food and drinks, students were able to listen to guest lecturers from various multicultural organizations about recruitment opportunities.

Cazandra Zaragoza, a graduate assistant for the Office of Outreach and Multicultual Affairs at the College of Medicine, said mixers are the best way for students to create networks necessary in these careers.

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