I'm really happy to share that this year I'm helping the graduate division of oSTEM at UCSD to organize SQUAD, a series of online seminars that highlight the research and experiences of queer scientist! ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ”ฌ By sharing these stories and journeys we hope to build community and showcase examples of how LGBTQ+ individuals persevere and thrive in their respective fields.
๐ŸŽ™๏ธThe inaugural talk of this year's cycle is next Monday Jan 29th at 4pm PT: "Tiny green algae and a rainbow community" by
Maria Hamilton, postdoc at the University of Georgia ๐Ÿฆ 
If you want to attend you can find the zoom link and information on future talks on our website! gradostem.ucsd.edu/events/squa
There are also recordings of some of the past talks! ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ”ฌ

Week 3 of at and across all campuses, with still very strong participation. The bargaining team has already received several serious proposals from the University that go in the right direction. Hopefully the same will happen soon for grad students!

"The outcome in California, experts say, could shape a new model for higher education across the country."
time.com/6237230/uc-strike-hig

When workers organize they have power โœŠ๐Ÿผ

So, from this week 48k academic workers (like grad students and postdocs) across all the Univeristy of California system are on , including here in San Diego.

The that represents us is trying to bargain a new contract after ~18 months of delays and procrastination from the University. We are fighting for (among many other things) fair wages that actually reflect the exhorbitant cost of living in California.

This is the largest ever held at an academic institution in the history of the US, and the first ever for postdocs. It has already inspired people in many other institutions across the US to form new unions and to fight for fair working conditions.
I really hope this brings some change to the whole system. We really need it.

NYT article

Another NYT article

LA Times article

Inside Higher Ed article

More information here

Video from the first day of strike at UCSD

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