Meet Dr. Sybrina Atwaters: Being Bold, Learning How to Network, and Pursuing Liberation

Episode Summary

1. Dr. Atwaters loves math. She really loves and understands the tenets of it and knows how to apply it to life.
2. She learned to be bold from her mother, who told her that she should apply to any college she wanted to. 
3. She believes that being at GT introduced her to other people who were just like her and have become her network.
4.  Her STEM story is also her life story. 
5. She wants everyone to learn how to network. Having a strong network is a blessing and a good thing but is something you have to be intentional about who is in your network. 
6. Liberation is key to her. Science serves liberation; theology serves liberation.

Dr. Sybrina Atwaters Bio
Sybrina Y. Atwaters is an interdisciplinary sociologist with research interests in sociology of technology (exploring knowledge production through virtual world technologies); and social inequality (examining patterns of inequality within science, engineering, and higher education).  Her broad experience includes collaborative research with the National Academies, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Iowa State University, the Fund for Theological Education, and the Association of Theological Schools. She has presented her work at both national and international professional conferences.  Her research has been published by Spring International and John Hopkins University Press.

Dr. Atwaters currently serves as Director, OMED: Educational Services, for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Georgia Institute of Technology. She supervises several programs and grant initiatives under her purview, including the 9-time award-winning African American Male Initiative (AAMI); Challenge, OMED’s signature 5-week summer academic intensive residential program; and Focus, an annual institute-wide diversity graduate recruitment program; and the Women of Color Initiative (WOCI), a city-wide collaborative with Georgia Tech, Spelman, Emory, and STEM Atlanta Women non-profit. Most recently she became affiliated faculty with the School of History and Sociology.

Sybrina is a 3-time graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology, receiving her B.S. in electrical engineering and master’s and Ph.D. in sociology of technology and science. She also earned her master’s degrees from Emory University in Theological Studies and Georgia State University in Instructional Technology. Dr. Atwaters has over nine years of experience as a senior wireless design engineer, eight years in STEM diversity research and programming, and 15 years in higher education instruction.

Dr. Atwaters serves on several boards, steering committees, task forces, and strategic planning working groups; including Georgia Million Women Mentors.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sybrina-atwaters-ph-d-63393b42
Website: https://omed.gatech.edu

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