September 25, 2023
Canceled: Arts and Sciences Diversity Lecture Series Oct. 5
***Please note: This event has been canceled. Watch for additional information in an upcoming K-State Today for a rescheduled date.
The 2023 Arts and Sciences Diversity Lecture Series will take place from 2:15-3:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in the McVay Family Town Hall, Room 114 of the Leadership Studies Building.
Osvaldo Gutierrez, professor in the department of chemistry at Texas A&M University will present "Dreamer's Pathway to Become a Professor: Tips and Tricks." The talk will be based on Gutierrez's experience as an undocumented immigrant in this country for more than 25 years and navigating through the school and university system to fund his doctorate and beyond. Challenges to address diversity and the role of the Alliance for Diversity in Science in Engineering in addressing these issues will be covered briefly.
Register online or scan the QR code in the PDF flyer.
Gutierrez was born in Mexico and raised in Sacramento, California. He attended Sacramento City College and transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2006, where he worked as an undergraduate in the laboratories of Professor Houk. His research focused on the use of quantum mechanical calculations to study organocatalysis. He obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in 2009 and completed his doctorate in 2012 at the University of California, Davis under the guidance of Professor Tantillo.
From 2012-2016 he worked as a postdoc with Professor Kozlowski at the University of Pennsylvania, where he used computational and experimental tools to study transition metal-catalyzed processes. In 2016 he started his independent position at the University of Maryland College Park as an assistant professor, and he was promoted to associate professor in summer 2021. In fall 2021, he moved to Texas A&M University where his research combined computational and experimental approaches to advance our understanding of iron- and photo-catalyzed reaction mechanisms.
In addition to research interests, Gutierrez is involved in a series of initiatives to increase diversity in STEM, including serving as president of the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering and organizer of the annual Young Researchers Conference and Breaking Barriers Through Chemistry.