Science communication, education, and outreach are central to my leadership as a scientist and workforce development leader. I design and lead initiatives that expand access to scientific knowledge, strengthen public engagement, and build inclusive pathways into STEM.

My work centers on designing scalable, inclusive programs that broaden participation in science, support early-career development, and strengthen the connection between scientific institutions and the communities they serve. Through leadership, mentorship, and hands-on education, I work to ensure that access to science is not limited by background, geography, or representation.

Below are selected examples of my work across science communication, education, and workforce development.

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci interview about Science Communication and Diversity in STEM, September 2021. 
    • I was invited to interview Dr. Anthony Fauci for the Research America 2021 National Health Research Forum entitled "Researcher to Researcher: A Fireside Chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci". I had the honor of proposing my own questions for the interview and got approved to use them. Thus, the interview/chat with Dr. Fauci focused on SciComm and the importance of diversity in STEM.
    • The interview can be found here.
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  • ​​STEAM100x35, Inc. August 2020.
    • ​STEAM100X35 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to elevating Puerto Rican women in STEAM globally and building inclusive pathways for the next generation of scientists through education, mentorship, and visibility.
    • The organization amplifies visibility through professional profiles, storytelling, and social media outreach that highlight Puerto Rican women across STEAM fields.
    • STEAM100X35 delivers and partners on hands-on workshops, panels, and educational events in Puerto Rico and the United States to inspire the next generation of diverse STEM scholars.
    • In collaboration with Vistazo a la Ciencia, the initiative hosts “Cafecito con STEAM y una pizca de Vistazo,” a monthly interview series spotlighting women in STEM.
    • In 2025, STEAM100X35 launched its first scholarship program to support students pursuing education and research in STEAM.
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  • Wild Hope Adventures, August 2020.
    • Provided Spanish translations for website content, video materials, and educational activities.
    • Identified, developed, adapted, and translated educational resources to support diverse learning audiences.
    • Created Spanish subtitles for the I CAN Science video series, which is part of the National Geographic resource library.
    • Developed and supported the Spanish-language version of the website.
 
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Efforts
    • COVID-19 National Scientist Volunteer Database, Social media coordinator and Spanish Translator, April 2020- March 2021. 
      • Co-led the curation of COVID-19 content for our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook), served as an editor and contributor to the Blog, and translated social media posts and Blog content into Spanish.​
      • I was interviewed by Telemundo about this initiative. 
    • University of California Davis College of Biological Sciences COVID-19 Crisis TownHalls, volunteer, Davis, CA, March-May 2020.
      • Added Spanish and English subtitles to UC Davis Town Hall videos to improve accessibility and audience reach.
      • Created dedicated webpages featuring full Town Hall transcripts in both Spanish and English.
      • Expanded access to institutional communications for multilingual and diverse audiences.
      • At the time, these were the only UC Davis Town Halls with Spanish subtitles and bilingual transcripts.
 
  • Science Outreach: How to Increase the Impact of Your Work Workshop, University of California Davis (UC Davis), Davis, CA. 2019.
    • Developed and coordinated a three-part science outreach workshop as part of the Professors for the Future Fellowship.
    • Led discussions on the impact of outreach on scientists, student participants, and broader communities, including practical pathways for engagement.
    • Facilitated a brainstorming session to support participants in designing their own outreach initiatives.
    • Provided guidance on identifying funding opportunities and resources to support outreach activities.
    • Workshop funded by the Professors for the Future Fellowship, UC Davis Graduate Studies, and the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement.
 
  • Data Intensive Biology Summer Research Program, UC Davis, Davis, CA. 2017. 
    • ​​Co-coordinated the Data Intensive Biology Summer Research Program at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with Dr. Phillip Brooks.
    • Designed and led a 10-week summer research program targeting undergraduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
    • Provided training in leading-edge approaches for analyzing biological sequencing data, with a focus on bioinformatics and data science.
    • Program components included hands-on workshops on introductory command-line and Unix, mentored summer research projects using data science methods in biomedical research, and training in cloud-based computing for remote data analysis.
    • Supported three undergraduate interns from UC Davis, Hamilton College, and Winona State University. 
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  • MSU Middle School Girls Math and Science Day, East Lansing, MI. 2015 and 2016. 
    • Girls Math and Science Day is a free, half-day outreach event featuring hands-on activities in math, science, and engineering for middle school girls. I co-coordinated this event for two years and led key operational areas, including budgeting and financial oversight, logistics, presenter recruitment, and event promotion.​​
  • Bridge to Neuroscience Workshop (Former BNW, now BPNP), Neuroscience Program, MSU, East Lansing, MI. January 2011 – 2016. 
    • A group of MSU graduate students, my PhD advisor and myself developed this one day hands-on neuroscience workshop. This workshop is given multiple times a year in Puerto Rico and its main goal is to increase exposure of neuroscience to minorities, increase awareness of neuroscience as a career and serve as a recruitment tool for the Bridge to Neuroscience Summer Program.
    • For our work with this workshop and its impact, my colleagues and myself received the Next Generation Award from the Society for Neuroscience in 2014. 
    • Bridge to Neuroscience Workshop (BNW) has been presented at:
      • Universidad de Puerto Rico - Arecibo 
      • Universidad de Puerto Rico - Cayey
      • Universidad de Puerto Rico - Humacao
      • Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ponce, Puerto Rico
      • Universidad Interamericana de Arecibo, Puerto Rico
      • Universidad del Turabo, Puerto Rico​​​
  • All the resources used for this workshop can be found in our article as part of the supplementary materials.
  • Bridge to the PhD in Neuroscience (BPNP) Summer Program scientific writing and professional development workshops, MSU, East Lansing, MI. May 2012- 2016.
    • Developed written assignments and instructional materials for the BPNP Summer Program.
    • Coordinated professional development and social programming for program participants.
    • Recruited and managed graduate student and postdoctoral facilitators to support programming and evaluate student work.
    • BPNP is an NIH- and NSF-funded summer research program at Michigan State University supporting underrepresented undergraduate students through a 10-week immersive research and professional development experience.​
Other "selected" outreach activities
  • ​Northern California Society of Toxicology (NorCal SOT) Speed Mentoring Event at UC Davis. October 2018, October 2019.
    • Organized the NorCal SOT Speed Mentoring event at UC Davis.
    • Convened ten scientists from industry, biotechnology, and government to serve as mentors.
    • Designed a structured series of 15-minute mentoring sessions focused on career paths and opportunities in toxicology.
    • Created an accessible, high-impact forum for students and early-career scientists to explore diverse career trajectories.
  • Neuroscience hands-on high school workshop. San Juan High School, Sacramento, CA. May 2018. 
    • Designed and co-coordinated a one-hour hands-on neuroscience workshop for 120 sophomore students.
    • Introduced core concepts in brain structure and function through interactive learning activities.
    • Covered the genetic basis of neurological conditions, including autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.
    • Concluded with a guided sheep brain dissection to reinforce anatomical and functional concepts through experiential learning.
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  • 2018 Society for Neuroscience Capitol Hill Day. Washington, DC. March 2018.
    • Participated in a neuroscience advocacy visit on March 8th as a member of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).
    • Met with U.S. senators and representatives to advocate for sustained and increased federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and the BRAIN Initiative.
    • Engaged with three U.S. senators and five U.S. representatives from California.
    • Represented the scientific community in advancing policies that support research, innovation, and the scientific workforce.
  • UC Davis for Puerto Rico. The initiative focused on coordinating hurricane María Relief Efforts at Davis, California, for Puerto Rico. September 2017 – 2018.
    • Led and organized a GoFundMe fundraising campaign and coordinated local fundraising events to support Puerto Rico. More information about this initiative can be found here and here.
    • Raised $5,500 and donated 120 solar-powered light bulbs to Casa Pueblo, a Puerto Rico–based community organization recognized for its leadership in solar energy initiatives and Hurricane María relief efforts.
    • Collaborated with a group of nine Puerto Rican faculty members and UC Davis leaders and administrators to develop an initiative that supported Puerto Rican scholars visiting and working at UC Davis for an academic quarter.
    • Contributed to building institutional partnerships that expanded access, visibility, and professional opportunities for scholars from Puerto Rico.
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  • Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting Undergraduate Diversity Program. SOT Annual Meeting. 2011– 2019.
    • Served as a peer mentor in a three-day professional development program for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in the biological sciences.
    • Provided guidance on applying to graduate school and strategies for success and productivity in graduate training.
    • Educated students about career pathways and professional opportunities within the field of toxicology.
    • Supported participants during the annual meeting by serving as a guide and introducing them to different subfields and career areas in toxicology.
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  • MSU Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), East Lansing, MI. Summer 2014 – 2016.
    • Served as a chalk talk facilitator for three summers, leading weekly small-group sessions with approximately 12 summer interns.
    • Provided structured feedback on research progress, experimental design, and scientific presentations.
    • Supported scholars as a writing coach, offering feedback on scientific manuscripts, CVs, personal statements, and research posters.
    • Contributed to the professional development and communication skills of early-career scientists through sustained mentorship and coaching.
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  • MSU Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (MSU-AGEP) Program Capitol Hill Visit, Washington, DC. February 2016.
    • I was one of eight graduate students, MSU AGEP members, who visited two Senator (Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters) and four House of Representative (John Conyers, Bill Huizenga, John Moolenaar and Debbie Dingell) offices and met with their legislative assistants to discuss the importance of funding National Science Foundation (NSF) programs such as AGEP and the impact it has on underrepresented minority scholars.  
 
  • ​Detroit Zoo Portal to the Public Workshop. Designed and Presented. Neuro-Talk: Synaptic Communication. Detroit Zoo, Detroit, MI. January 17th, June 6th, 2015.  ​
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  • “Our nervous system at work” workshop.  Marble Elementary School. East Lansing, MI. May 2013. ​​
    • ​Organized and presented a hands-on neuroscience workshop to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, focused on the structure and function of the brain. 


Awards for science education/outreach and communication
  • Sor Isolina Ferré Award for Excellence in Service-Education category. Given by the Puerto Rican Government, The House of Representatives. September 2023. 
  • University of California Davis Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity and Community, postdoctoral category. April 2022.
  • Finalist – AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science. April 2022.
  • 2021 Al Día Women of Merit. Award for impact on Education. March 2021. 
  • Science Communication Fellowship, National Science Foundation Portal to the Public Program, Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit, MI, October 2014.
  • SFN Next Generation Award, for outstanding contributions to public outreach and neuroscience education, August 2014.
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