Nationally Renowned STEM Leader and DEI Advocate to Speak at UMass Amherst on Feb. 22

Manu Platt, a nationally recognized voice in advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM, will present “Things Fall Apart,” an engaging conversation about anti-racist improvements, associated community efforts and the importance of sustained attention in preventing entropy on Thursday, Feb. 22 in the Campus Center Auditorium at 7 p.m. The lecture will be preceded by a community dinner at 6 p.m.

Earlier that day, at 1 p.m., Platt will also host a technical talk in S330/340 in the Life Science Laboratory titled “Strokes with sickle cell disease: dynamic interplay between biomechanical and biochemical stimuli.”

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Platt’s visit to UMass Amherst is in collaboration with the colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences and is 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 events are free and reservations are encouraged for the 6 p.m. dinner and 7 p.m. lecture through the Distinguished Science and Engineer Seminar Series web page on the College of Engineering website. 

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 known nationwide for his work in DEI community involvement and his interdisciplinary research that concentrates on global health challenges and domestic health inequities. Platt 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.

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.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Distinguished Science and Engineer Seminar Series website.