"Choosing Your Institutional Legacy"
Activist Scholar Sarah Sam
Contact: Inclusion in Chemical Sciences

Late Caltech President Robert A. Millikan sat on the board of the Human Betterment Foundation, a eugenics advocacy group which modeled forced sterilization practices throughout the world. Millikan and other prominent leaders of the eugenics movement of the 1900s built their academic careers on the foundation of scientific racism and white supremacy. Today, these legacies continue to harm and exclude the marginalized groups they sought to eradicate. We scientists have an obligation to examine our own biases, dismantle racist ideologies, and actively decide the institutional values we continue to uphold.

Sarah Sam is an activist and scholar, having earned her master's degree in neurobiology from Caltech in 2021. During her time as a graduate researcher and NIH fellow, she spearheaded several programs to support local K-12 students. As President of the Black Scientists and Engineers of Caltech (BSEC), Sarah was a powerful force in Caltech's Anti-Racism movement in 2020. Her work there inspired drastic institutional change, including the renaming of Caltech's buildings formerly honoring eugenicists.

The Department of Chemistry is committed to providing access and accommodation. To make a request connected to a disability or health condition for this event, contact us at chem59x@uw.edu.