BPA Career Pathways Seminar - January 14, 2016

Dear VSPA Affilaites,

Are you interested to hear about inspiring career perspectives?

The Berkeley Postdoctoral Association is pleased to invite you to our Career Pathways seminar series designed to expose you to unique career paths and to connect you with people who are working in exciting fields outside of academia.

Come join us for a lively discussion on energy consulting career options.

We have an inspiring talk from Dr. Yaihara Fortis Santiago, Program Manager, Science Alliance, New York Academy of Sciences and Dr. Drika Weller, Program Manager and Researcher, WestEd on career perspectives for you.

The Berkeley Postdoctoral Association is pleased to invite you to our Career Pathways seminar series designed to expose you to unique career paths and to connect you with people who are working in exciting fields outside of academia.

Come join us for a lively discussion on careers pathways in science policy.

DATE: Thursday, January 14th, 2016
TIME: 6:30-8:00 pm.
LOCATION: Stanley Hall 106, UC Berkeley

REGISTRATION: This series is open to all Postdocs, Graduate Students, and Visiting Scholars.

Our SPEAKERS:

Dr. Yaihara Fortis Santiago manages the Science Alliance, the professional development branch of the New York Academy of Sciences. Yaihara develops and implements innovative workshops and courses that provide early career scientists with a range of soft and business skills that will be essential for all careers. Yaihara also works closely with career development offices and student/postdoc organizations to consolidate resources and implement new ideas for professional development programming. In 2014, Dr. Fortis completed the Science and Technology Policy Fellowship under the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). During her time as a fellow she worked at the National Science Foundation (NSF) on programs that transform the frontiers of STEM fields using innovative multidisciplinary approaches and inter-institutional collaborations. Dr. Fortis obtained her bachelors’ degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico and her doctoral degree in Neuroscience from Brandeis University. Her doctoral work focused in studying the role of multisensory integration in taste processing.

Dr. Drika Weller works as a project manager and researcher at WestEd where she manages a $13mill Investing in Innovation (i3) project. Prior to her work at WestEd, Drika was Executive Director of a San Francisco nonprofit that facilitates education opportunities for children in developing countries. Before working in San Francisco, Drika was an American Psychological Association/ American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. As a AAAS Fellow, Drika worked in the Global Development Lab at the U.S. Agency for International Development. There, Drika spearheaded a program to identify the key investments needed to help children and youth in Sub-Saharan Africa emerge out of adversity. In addition to her policy and programmatic work, Drika has published and presented her research on the development of underserved children and taught courses on child development at the University of California, Davis. She received a PhD in Developmental Psychology in 2011 from the University of California, Davis.