Community Voices

In celebration of Pride Month, UConn’s Second Annual Queer Science Conference was launched on June 4 with the goal of connecting LGBTQ+ youth with role models in various STEM fields. The one-day, free, volunteer-driven event connected high school students with LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students at UConn who work in STEM disciplines, offering community and mentorship as well as state-of-the-art laboratory experiences and opportunities for hands-on science demonstrations. The program is supported by the UConn School of Engineering’s Vergnano Institute for Inclusion; the nonprofit organization Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or oSTEM; and UConn’s Rainbow Center.