The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans
in Science (SACNAS) was founded in 1973 by science professors.
SACNAS is a national organization with most of its members residing
in the Southwest. The Society's mission is to encourage Chicano
and Native American students to pursue graduate education in order
to obtain the advance degrees necessary for research careers and
science teaching professions at all levels.
Over the past fey years, SACNAS has concentrated on holding national
conferences to help carry out its mission. These conferences have
been financially supported by the National Institutes of Health
and are designed to inspire and encourage Chicano and Native
American undergraduate science and engineering students (included
also are mathematics, psychology, and grade school/secondary school
science teacher majors) to pursue graduate education. SACNAS
conferences feature exhibitors primarily from graduate schools of
education and from federal and private agencies that offer research
careers.
With the national organization's mission in mind, the students at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign founded the first
SACNAS student chapter in January, 1992. Since its foundation, we
have invited two Chicano science professors, Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff,
neuroscience professor from Harvard Medical School and Dr. William
Velez, a mathematics professor at the University fo Arizona and who
is presently at the National Science Foundation in Washington D.C.
We have also worked in attaining summer internships and research
positions for Chicano and Native American students.
We are currently holding weekly meetings on Thursdays in Rm 284
Student Organizations Complex, Illini Union (2nd floor, South Side).
These meetings begin at 7pm. All registered students are invited to join.
Contact person: Norma Patino 351-7397, e-mail norma20@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu