2016 SACNAS

In 2016, over 4,000 attendees gathered in beautiful and sunny Long Beach, California for 2016 SACNAS. With a conference focus on STEM Diversity + Public Understanding, the conference opened with a luncheon welcome and keynote address from Dr. Hannah Valantine, Chief officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity at National Institutes of Health, followed by 2 additional keynote talks, 3 featured speakers, and a STEM & The Media panel. In between keynote talks, attendees had the opportunity to select from 101 sessions spanning multidisciplinary professional development, scientific symposium, and leadership development topics, as well as our hallmark networking event, Conversations with Scientists. The Expo Hall featured 357 total booths with recruiters and opportunities from University of Southern California, The California State University, USDA, UC San Diego, NASA, Genentech, and many more. In true SACNAS tradition, Friday night featured an open-to-the-public traditional Pow Wow which attracted hundreds of attendees and locals, and Saturday closed with a ¡Pachanga! (SACNAS dance). Over the course of the event 1,000+ students shared their research via a poster or oral presentation and, with the help of approximately 200 mentor-judge volunteers, 92 student presenters received awards for their outstanding presentations.