About Dr. Montello

Image systems form a major component of our species’ cultural heritage. Most likely, their use extends back further into our evolutionary past than the earliest surviving traces of image-making in the archaeological record. Yet the capacity of image systems to serve as complex intellectual devices in their own right is often overshadowed by their perception as “merely illustrating” propositions expressed in language or writing.

Social attachments play a central role in most, if not all, levels of human interaction, from parent-child attachment, friendship and social affiliation, to enduring partnerships with mates. It has been difficult to study social attachment because traditional genetic lab model animals do not exhibit adult social attachment behaviors. Thus, the analysis of social
attachment has been resistant to genetic and neurobiological approaches.

[Abstract]

Black women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and they report facing unique challenges and belonging concerns in STEM majors and classrooms. Working to address these disparities while acknowledging intersectional identities, during my talk, I will examine who acts as role models for Black women and encourages their belonging and identity-safety in STEM classrooms.

At the center of the SFFA v. Harvard Supreme Court case, the plaintiffs argued that Asian Americans were discriminated against in favor of unqualified Black applicants. This echoes a pattern of historical tensions between the Asian and Black communities, such as the 1992 LA Riot that led to the destruction of Koreatown. Why do Black and Asian Americans seem to be at odds more than any other racial minority groups? This talk seeks to unravel the frayed relations between Asian and Black Americans.