As a Puerto Rican woman, mathematics Professor Minerva Cordero, associate dean in the College of Science, knows the challenges of being a minority woman in the male-dominated STEM arena.
Because of her experiences, Dr. Cordero has advocated for the advancement of women and other minorities in academic STEM careers for two decades. She recently accepted a position in the inaugural class of 125 women serving as IF/THEN ambassadors, sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Lyda Hill Philanthropies. Cordero will encourage middle-school girls by sharing her personal career story and serving as a role model to inspire them to pursue STEM-related professions.
“We have to begin attracting women into STEM earlier in their lives,” says Cordero. “It’s important we show them there is a place for them at the table before they are persuaded differently.”
She recently returned from a yearlong term at the National Science Foundation, where she served as program director of the ADVANCE and Hispanic- Serving Institutions programs.
“UTA has done extensive work to engage young women, underrepresented minorities, and their parents in the Dallas-Fort Worth community with STEM professions,” Cordero says. “I hope to show the world how much we value diversity on our campus.”
