Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s J.D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences will host Dr. Ainissa G. Ramirez, a science evangelist, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, as part of OBU’s Nell Mondy Lecture Series. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Art Center’s McBeth Recital Hall and is free and open to the public.

“The Mondy Lecture series allows us to bring an expert to campus to stimulate thought on a given topic,” explained Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences. “It allows us to expand beyond the typical classroom boundaries into areas that are important and often help us to think in a multidisciplinary way about our world.”

Ramirez’s lecture will address the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

“All too often, we get intimidated by these fields, deciding that we don’t need them because they are challenging,” said Dr. Sara Hubbard, assistant professor of chemistry. “However, we can’t just leave science to the people in lab coats. We all need to have a solid background in math and science because it’s truly something we use every day whether we realize it or not.

“Ramirez is an engaging and dynamic speaker who uses interesting real-world examples of science in her talks, helping listeners to see why science and math are so important,” Hubbard added. “My hope is that students who attend the lecture will gain a sense of the relevance and sheer awesomeness of science."

According to her website, Ramirez is a science evangelist who is passionate about getting the general public excited about science. She is the author of Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists and is co-author with Allen St. John of Newton’s Football: The Science Behind America’s Game.

Ramirez received her training in materials science and engineering from Brown University and Stanford University. Technology Review, the magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, named her as one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators for her contributions to transforming technology. She has been profiled in The New York Times, Fortune magazine, CNN, NPR, ESPN, The Hartford Courant and numerous scientific magazines, including Scientific American and Discover magazine.

The endowed Nell Mondy Lecture Series was established in 1991 by late Ouachita alumna Dr. Nell Mondy. Dr. Mondy was a worldwide consultant on food chemistry and nutrition and served as professor of nutritional sciences, food science and toxicology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

For more information, contact Dr. Sara Hubbard at [email protected] or (870) 245-5533.

 

By McKenzie Cranford