The UC Davis ADVANCE program utilizes a four-pronged approach to increasing the participation and advancement of women in the STEM fields. This approach includes: establishment of a Center for Advancing Multi-Cultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS), implementation of programs to reduce the impact of unconscious bias, empowerment of STEM women faculty, and a rigorous social science research and evaluation program that is designed to both inform and assess the innovative approach being utilized to create and sustain an inclusive STEM environment. Underlying this multi-faceted approach is a keen focus on the recruitment, retention and advancement of Latina STEM faculty and the development of a STEM workforce that more closely resembles the region. To that end, it is expected that this project will provide much-needed nuance to the understanding of how race, ethnicity and cultural differences interact with personal, familial, institutional, mentorship, and network influences to impact the attractiveness of the academic career path and the professional trajectories of Latina STEM faculty. Given the vast network of UC campuses and innovative dissemination methods, the ADVANCE program at UC Davis will seminally impact the region and other universities nationwide. As such, UC Davis will drive institutional change toward gender equity in numerous institutions of higher education, while promoting the career success of underrepresented STEM faculty and enhancing the potential of academic science through the inclusion of previously underrepresented perspectives.
