Panelists will discuss STEMM's '#MeToo Movement'

LAWRENCE — A report released earlier this year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that a chilly climate and sexual harassment of women in STEMM fields — science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine — are pervasive problems with serious consequences. The University of Kansas will host a program next week to discuss these issues.

“STEMM’s #MeToo Movement: Identifying Solutions to Make STEMM Fields Safe” will take place from noon-1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, in the Burge Union, Forum C.

Speaker Kellyann Jones-Jamtgaard, who received her doctorate from KU Medical Center and was involved in writing the report, will discuss the findings and their implications. Following the presentation, panelists Maria Orive, Ombuds Office; Kate Burns, Institutional Opportunity & Access; and Dustin Struble, Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Center, will discuss options for challenging these harmful behaviors and practices and strategies for staying safe.

The program, sponsored by the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Sigma Xi, is free and open to the public.  Light refreshments will be provided.

Presenters and panelists:
Kellyann Jones-Jamtgaard is the career academy liaison at the Partnership for Regional Educational Preparation-Kansas City (PREP-KC), an education nonprofit that focuses on college and career preparation for urban school districts. Jones-Jamtgaard was a 2017 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow assigned to the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Appointed by Mayor Sly James, Jones-Jamtgaard currently serves as a commissioner on the Kansas City Health Commission, a group tasked with improving public health in Kansas City, Missouri, and co-chairs the commission’s Birth Outcomes subcommittee. She also serves as an advisory board member for the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity. She holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish from Duke University and a doctorate in microbiology from KU. Her doctoral research focused on alterations in cellular trafficking during Hepatitis C virus infection. Jones-Jamtgaard is committed to improving science education and being an advocate for women in science and medicine. She was recently recognized with the naming of the Kellyann Jones-Jamtgaard Student Diversity Award at KU Medical Center in her honor.

Maria Orive has served as KU’s faculty ombuds for the past 10 years, serving the university community of students, staff and faculty. She has received training in conflict resolution and ombuds best practices through the International Ombudsman Association, and she regularly presents workshops and facilitates discussions on difficult conversations, ethical issues in academia and diversity issues.

Orive received her undergraduate degree at Stanford University and her doctorate from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She spent two years in the lab of Marjorie Asmussen in the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia, followed by a year as an NSF NATO Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, in the lab of Nick Barton. Orive came to KU in 1997, where she is an associate professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. While at KU, she spent one year as a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University.

Kate Burns has served as an EEO/Title IX investigator with KU’s Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access since August 2017.  In addition to her role as an investigator, she is also responsible for coordinating and conducting trainings for the department.  Prior to joining KU, she conducted internal investigations for the state of Kansas as well as investigating medical malpractice, and shee also served as a parole officer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2009 and a master’s degree in forensic science in 2011 from Nebraska Wesleyan University.  Burns has received extensive training from various law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In her spare time, she enjoys running a small photography business that allows her to interact in a positive way with local families.

Dustin Struble serves as a program educator for the Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Center. In this role, he is responsible for bystander intervention and men's engagement programming. He came to KU in the fall of 2012, working in the Student Involvement & Leadership Center for four years. Prior to KU, Struble earned his Master of Education in higher education administration and student affairs from the University of South Carolina. Originally from Durham, California, he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University-Chico. Struble is currently working on his doctorate in higher education administration. In his free time, he serves as a victim/survivor advocate for the Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center.