Understanding and connecting STEM and social justice to solve community problems is at the core of Our Future Is Science initiatives. In an December 12th, 2024 talk, Sejal Goud, Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez, and Michael Akinwumi discuss how to create change through science engagement.

Sejal Goud is a senior at Princeton University, where she is pursuing studies in public policy and international affairs and has been named the Frederick P. Hitz ’61 Scholar in the Nation’s Service. As the Program Associate within the Science & Society Program, Sejal works with a special focus on convening roundtables and authoring the Program’s signature publications. She is committed to leveraging her backgrounds in advocacy and journalism to promote the link between civic engagement and science communication, as well as to support underrepresented communities in and through the sciences. Her interest in these initiatives informs her current independent research into Latin American climate mobility policy. Her previous independent policy research has examined tensions between environmental protection and affordable housing law, as well as multilateral climate mobility, which was presented to the U.S. National Security Council.She first joined the Aspen Institute as an intern in Summer 2022, after which she stayed on to support the Science & Society team as Communications Coordinator for 2 years. At Princeton, Sejal leads the Features section of The Daily Princetonian as Head Editor, is an Ethics of Policy Fellow, and is involved with various community organizations, including El Centro English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), Vote100, and the Service Focus Race, Migration, and Belonging cohort.In addition to Aspen, Sejal has spent time at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez

serves as the Civic Leadership Program Specialist for the Center for Civic and Community-Engaged Leadership at the University of Texas at San Antonio to promote civic engagement, literacy and expand student voter engagement. Noelani also oversees students in the Rowdy Corps Community Scholars program assigned to local civic engagement community organizations and public serving agencies.

Noelani serves as primary contact for the community-engagement platform UTSA Engaged to track community engagement data based on the Carnegie Community Engagement framework.

Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez graduated from UTSA with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and has an interest in pursuing her studies in Urban and Regional Development as part of her commitment to the public sector.

Dr. Michael Akinwumi is the Chief AI Officer at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), where he leads efforts to ensure safe, secure, and trustworthy AI principles and practices in the housing sector. He focuses on AI governance, risk management, and innovation, working with both private and public sectors to research, test and promote responsible AI systems that align with fair housing and lending goals. As an Eagleton Civic Science Fellow, Dr. Akinwumi is creating governance frameworks using large language models to help state legislators evaluate AI-related bill provisions. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics, his prior work spans various sectors including fintech, insurance and retail banking. Dr. Akinwumi is guided by the philosophy that a life lived for others is truly worthwhile.

The Community Talk Series is a platform to expose individuals to diverse careers, as well as information, insights, and perspectives on the intersections of STEM disciplines and social justice issues.

This event is organized by Our Future Is Science, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program.

Understanding and connecting STEM and social justice to solve community problems is at the core of Our Future Is Science initiatives. In an December 12th, 2024 talk, Sejal Goud, Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez, and Michael Akinwumi discuss how to create change through science engagement.

Sejal Goud is a senior at Princeton University, where she is pursuing studies in public policy and international affairs and has been named the Frederick P. Hitz ’61 Scholar in the Nation’s Service. As the Program Associate within the Science & Society Program, Sejal works with a special focus on convening roundtables and authoring the Program’s signature publications. She is committed to leveraging her backgrounds in advocacy and journalism to promote the link between civic engagement and science communication, as well as to support underrepresented communities in and through the sciences. Her interest in these initiatives informs her current independent research into Latin American climate mobility policy. Her previous independent policy research has examined tensions between environmental protection and affordable housing law, as well as multilateral climate mobility, which was presented to the U.S. National Security Council.She first joined the Aspen Institute as an intern in Summer 2022, after which she stayed on to support the Science & Society team as Communications Coordinator for 2 years. At Princeton, Sejal leads the Features section of The Daily Princetonian as Head Editor, is an Ethics of Policy Fellow, and is involved with various community organizations, including El Centro English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), Vote100, and the Service Focus Race, Migration, and Belonging cohort.In addition to Aspen, Sejal has spent time at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez

serves as the Civic Leadership Program Specialist for the Center for Civic and Community-Engaged Leadership at the University of Texas at San Antonio to promote civic engagement, literacy and expand student voter engagement. Noelani also oversees students in the Rowdy Corps Community Scholars program assigned to local civic engagement community organizations and public serving agencies.

Noelani serves as primary contact for the community-engagement platform UTSA Engaged to track community engagement data based on the Carnegie Community Engagement framework.

Noelani Cubillos-Sanchez graduated from UTSA with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and has an interest in pursuing her studies in Urban and Regional Development as part of her commitment to the public sector.

Dr. Michael Akinwumi is the Chief AI Officer at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), where he leads efforts to ensure safe, secure, and trustworthy AI principles and practices in the housing sector. He focuses on AI governance, risk management, and innovation, working with both private and public sectors to research, test and promote responsible AI systems that align with fair housing and lending goals. As an Eagleton Civic Science Fellow, Dr. Akinwumi is creating governance frameworks using large language models to help state legislators evaluate AI-related bill provisions. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics, his prior work spans various sectors including fintech, insurance and retail banking. Dr. Akinwumi is guided by the philosophy that a life lived for others is truly worthwhile.

The Community Talk Series is a platform to expose individuals to diverse careers, as well as information, insights, and perspectives on the intersections of STEM disciplines and social justice issues.

This event is organized by Our Future Is Science, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program.