Nationally Renowned STEM Leader and DEI Advocate to Speak at UMass Amherst on February 22
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Manu Platt, PhD, a nationally recognized voice in advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM, will visit campus on February 22, to present “Things Fall Apart”—an engaging conversation about anti-racist improvements, associated community efforts, and the importance of sustained attention in preventing entropy—as part of a community dinner and lecture at 6pm in the Campus Center Auditorium. This event is free to attend, though RSVP is encouraged.
He will also host a technical talk at 1pm in the Life Science Laboratories S330/340, titled “Strokes with sickle cell disease: dynamic interplay between biomechanical and biochemical stimuli.”
Platt is known nationwide for his work in DEI community involvement and his interdisciplinary research that concentrates on global health challenges and domestic health inequities. He is a leader at the NIH’s National Institute on Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), where he serves as Associate Director of Scientific Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as Director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering Technology Acceleration (BETA Center). The BETA Center aims to accelerate the development, validation, and dissemination of cutting-edge technologies to address urgent national and global healthcare needs.
A Black scientist, Platt has spent much of his career working to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences and engineering. He is visiting UMass Amherst as part of the Annual Distinguished Scientist and Engineer Seminar Series, which showcases the work of diverse and accomplished STEM faculty from across the country. The event is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the College of Natural Sciences.
Before joining NIH, Platt was a professor and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in the Walter H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. His complete bio can be found on the NIH website.