Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Broadening Participation

Our lab aims to contribute to building a diverse research community in the fields of molecular evolution and computational biology. As such, we have worked to develop multiple programs to broaden participation in these areas.

Workshops on Computational Biology and Genomics in Todos Santos, Mexico

Working with colleagues in the Department of Biology and at the CSU Center in Todos Santos, Mexico, we have developed an annual workshop series with both computational and wet-lab offerings to provide training in the fields of genomics and next-generation sequencing. The workshops cater to faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from local Mexican research institutions, while providing a service-learning experience for the CSU researchers who serve as instructors. If you have questions about future workshop offerings, please contact Dan.

First-Year Undergraduate Seminar Program

We have observed that one of the barriers to entry into the field of computational biology is that most students are simply unaware of the many career opportunities in this field until late in their undergraduate careers. To help overcome this barrier, we have initiated a program that integrates with multiple first-year undergraduate seminar programs at CSU to raise awareness about the value of pairing computational, statistical and mathematical training with an education in the biomedical sciences. In this program, lab members present to freshmen in life science and pre-med tracks to describe their personal experiences entering the field of bioinformatics without prior expertise in computer science, while also highlighting the ever-growing demand on the job market for researchers with these skill sets. We also provide these first-year CSU undergraduates with a road map for getting training and research experience in computational biology at CSU. All seminars target students from backgrounds that are historically associated with low retention rates in STEM undergraduate degree programs, with the aim of improving the pervasive shortcomings that have long affected diversity and inclusiveness in our field.