Tuesday, October 20, 2020
FEBRUARY 14, 2020 — Kelly Nash ’09 understands planning for a bold future. The fact that fewer than 100 African American women in the U.S. held Ph.Ds. in physics at the time she decided to pursue her passion did not hold her back.
Now, this UTSA physicist, associate professor and alumna wants to make sure she inspires other black young women to do the same.
She advises all to follow their passions. “Don’t be afraid to pursue a major because there is no one that looks like you in that field,” she said. “In fact, Black History Month reminds us of all the African American women who challenged the status quo and chose to be trailblazers from education to the arts to science and engineering.”
—KELLY NASH, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics
Next, Nash recommended that before a student selects a field of study to take time and define what personal success means to the individual. Finally, she said, “The complex identity of being both black and a woman gets amplified in the classroom, workplace and often in daily life. You have to combat the negative effects by focusing on self-love and remembering that what you have to say and contribute matters just as much as anyone else in the room.”
In May, Nash will finish her three-year term as an officer for the American Physical Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. “This has been such a rewarding experience,” she said, “and I have had the pleasure to support programming that is truly making a difference in the lives of young people. Every year the experience of the conferences where I have been able to share my journey of both struggles and successes has provided interaction with so many undergraduate women in physics from such diverse backgrounds. They have inspired me more than ever to be an advocate for underrepresented groups in science.”
⇒ Read an interview with Kelly Nash in UTSA’s Sombrilla Magazine.
When asked about the significance of Black History Month, Nash responded, “Black History Month is important because it is a time to reflect on the immense societal contributions of African Americans and to share that message with peoples from all backgrounds. On a more personal level, I think it’s a time for all African Americans to reflect on the shared journey of perseverance and the progress of people from across the African diaspora and how it is reflected in our own personal family history.”
Nash continues to make a difference at UTSA, working in the Department of Physics with undergraduate students and conducting research to discover how nanomaterials interact with cell and molecular biology.
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UTSA Main Campus will serve as a designated polling station during the early voting period, today through October 30, and on Election Day, November 3.
H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (HSU 1.104)The First Generation and Transfer Student Center (FGTSC), Transfer and Transition Student Success Services (T2S3), and Alamo Runners invite you to join the virtual fun as we celebrate National Transfer Student Week. UTSA is enriched by transfer students who bring their diverse experiences, backgrounds, and assets to our campus. National Transfer Student Week seeks to celebrate, empower, and support transfer students with events and workshops specifically designed for transfers.
Virtual EventJoin Student Health Services as we discuss Intellectual Wellbeing with TRC - Academic Success Coaching.
Virtual EventAre you missing our Roost Tournaments? We will be having our UFC 3 tournament and our tournaments are now back to Wednesdays! Sign up and show us your skills. See if you have what it takes to be our champion.
Virtual EventDr. Mo. Jamshidi is an Endowed chaired professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio. He is a Persian Native, born in Shiraz, Iran in 1944. He was an advisor to NASA for 10 years (including with the first MARS Mission and seven years with NASA Headquarters (Washington, DC), among other organizations. He has over 800 technical publications including 74 books in English and 5 foreign languages. For the past 20 years, he has been collecting data on Persian Scientists and Poets from 1000 BC to 2021 AD. This presentation will be about the book written by Dr. Jamshidi that collects information on Persian scientists and poets.
Virtual EventJoin this informative, interactive webinar with practical tips on how to plan your charitable giving now and for the future. Michael Perkins, member of the UTSA Alumni Association and the UTSA College of Business Accounting Advisory Board, is no stranger to gift planning. As managing partner and CEO of Slattery Perkins Ramirez P.C. (“SPR”) his primary areas of focus include counseling business owners, executives, and other high net worth individuals on personal financial issues, including estate planning, wealth transfer, and income tax planning techniques. Michael also practices philanthropy himself – establishing an endowed scholarship at UTSA as well as supporting numerous charitable causes throughout San Antonio.
Virtual EventUTSA Main Campus is a voting poll for Election Day on November 3.
H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (HSU 1.104The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
