Professor Menka Jain’s two PhD students, Jacob Pfund and Zachary Ritchey, assisted with planning and organizing the fourth annual UConn Queer Science Conference on June 8th 2025. With activities such as brain dissections, fly genetics demos, and pathobiology lab tours, the participating high school students learn about a cross-section of different scientific disciplines throughout the day. The event aims to make queer representation in science more visible for LGBTQIA+ high school students and show participants that they can pursue scientific careers too. For more information on this event, you can view the associated UConn Today article “At UConn’s Queer Science Conference, New Futures Take Shape for Young Scientists.”

Or, if you’re interested in getting involved next year, contact the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion and stay tuned for updates on their webpage!