UWF to showcase student scholarly work at 15th annual Women’s Studies Conference

The University of West Florida will host its 15th annual Women’s Studies Conference on March 21, 2016, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the UWF Conference Center.

The annual event provides a platform for graduate and undergraduate students to showcase their research, while offering an invaluable opportunity to engage in a rigorous, high-impact learning experience. Presentations will include visual art, performance art, scholarly papers and poster presentations that address topics across women, gender and sexuality.

“This event continues to be vital to the professional and academic training of our students across all colleges,” says Dr. Katherine Romack, coordinator of the UWF Women’s and Gender Studies Program. “This year’s submissions are the strongest we’ve had in the past 15 years.”

Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling, a renowned developmental geneticist, will deliver the conference’s keynote address entitled “Acquiring Gender: From Baby in the Yellow Hat to Gender Identity and Expression.” Fausto-Sterling is the professor emerita of biology and gender studies in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry at Brown University. She is the founder and former director of the Science and Technology Studies Program at Brown and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her work has been influential in shaping the understanding of sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The conference will also recognize the recipient of the Mary F. Rogers Faculty Award for Women’s Studies. This year, Dr. Jamie Snyder, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at UWF, will be honored for her research on domestic violence. Her luncheon presentation will discuss sexual violence on college campuses.

“The conference is more than just an opportunity for students to present,” said Erica Miller, co-president of the UWF Women’s Studies Collective. “It creates a space for students, faculty and the community to connect and discuss important issues.”

The conference is a collaboration between the campus and surrounding community, proudly sponsored and supported by the Northwest Florida Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation as well as the following UWF entities: Women’s and Gender Studies Program; Women’s Studies Collective; Faculty ADVANCE; Office of Equity and Diversity; John C. Pace Symposium Series; Department of English; Student Government Association; College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities; Division of Student Affairs and the Graduate School.

The conference is free and open to the public. Visit the registration website for more information.