This talk will provide an overview of how Pacific Islander Studies can provide foundational learning on decolonization and intersectionality to critically examine difference, power, and oppression when it comes to understanding race, ethnicity, nation, gender, sexuality, and other experiences and identities. We will explore the benefits of incorporating a transdisciplinary approach that interweaves perspectives from the social sciences, STEM, humanities, and other fields so that students are able to apply these lessons and skills to a variety of professional and personal paths.

Dr. Sarina Saturn (née Rodrigues)
Dr. Sarina Saturn (née Rodrigues) is an Indigenous CHamoru and Asian Indian Oregonian whose expertise centers on intersectional equity and the neuroscience underlying emotions, oppression, and post-traumatic growth. She served as an assistant and associate professor at Oregon State University (OSU) and the University of Portland (UP) and as a community scientist and advocate of BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, and other people from non-dominant identities who have been historically excluded from guiding decisions or norms that impact their well-being. Dr. Saturn is also Editor for the NSF-funded ADVANCE Journal: Individual and Institution for Social Justice which provides a forum to address systems of oppression, intersectionality, and strategies for resistance and change in all fields of inquiry, and especially in STEM-focused disciplines.

Recording upon request to mmlo@pdx.edu