The University of California, Davis is a proud platinum sponsor for the 2011 Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) national conference taking place at the San Jose Convention Center in California on Oct. 27-30, 2011.

The annual conference is a four-day event of scientific research presentations, professional development, networking, exhibits, culture and community. Interdisciplinary, inclusive and highly interactive, the SACNAS conference offers a venue for the advancement of scientists and science students. Over 2,500 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduates, graduate students and professors from universities across the U.S. will attend. UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi was instrumental in sponsoring the conference and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph Hexter is scheduled to speak at the opening ceremony.

This year's conference theme is "Empowering Innovation and Synergy through Diversity", which coincides with the UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies' commitment to diversity. UC Davis is ranked 17th among national research universities on the list of the most racially and ethnically diverse (U.S. News & World Report).

As a platinum sponsor of the conference, Graduate Studies will host 85-100 undergraduate student visitors from across the country in Davis the day before the conference officially begins. Current UC Davis students will meet the students at the Sacramento airport and escort them to the campus for a day and a half of activities. Visiting students will enjoy a Latino/Native American community dinner and connect with inspiring faculty, including dynamic speaker and professor of Food Science and Technology, Charles Bamforth. Dean of Graduate Studies, Jeffery Gibeling, will act as the Master of Ceremonies for the community dinner.

Campus activities will also take advantage of networking opportunities and visiting students will experience top-ranked STEM research with lab tours and faculty interactions. Students will be able to connect with graduate students and faculty within their specific field of interest.

Hector Cuevas, Director of Outreach, Recruitment and Retention for Graduate Studies, says UC Davis is honored to participate in the SACNAS conference. "The activities before and during the conference helps us reach students, particularly underrepresented students, who have an interest in UC Davis and our outstanding STEM programs," said Cuevas. "The conference also allows us the opportunity to showcase the excellence of science and engineering research and scholarship at UC Davis." There are approximately 52 STEM field programs offered at UC Davis and the campus is ranked 9th among national public research universities (U.S. News & World Report).

Graduate Studies will host a booth at the conference where students will have the opportunity to interact with research faculty. Over 40 faculty members from UC Davis graduate programs will be participating in the conference judging and talking one-on-one with conference participants about the many doctoral programs on campus. UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students will also be on hand to discuss UC Davis' unique interdisciplinary graduate groups. UC Davis is nationally known for its many unique interdisciplinary graduate programs, where faculty from different disciplines across campus collaborate on research projects.

About 200 other universities, organizations, research centers and private research institutions will also be present at the annual conference. SACNAS is a great opportunity for students in the STEM fields to become connected with people already seasoned in the field.

SACNAS was founded in the early 70s as a result of a collection of Chicano and Native American scientists' desire to mentor the future scientists from these underrepresented communities. Nearly 40 years later, SACNAS is still strong, serving 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty across the country in STEM fields each year.

For more information about the conference, go to https://sacnas.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=18.