University of Exeter’s STEMM to observe LGBTQ+ history month

Held in partnership with Business and IP Centres Devon, the PRISM Exeter Speakers Event at Exeter Library on 13th February will showcase the innovative work being done to drive change done across Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).

Attendees at the event, held during LGBTQ+ History Month will have a chance to hear about diversity and inclusion initiatives from across the UK.

Speakers have been confirmed as Booking.com tech recruiter and Isca Apollo FC founder, Lewis Bell, and physicist Dr David Newman. They will share their personal experiences as LGBTQ+ people working in STEMM, allowing attendees to learn about the barriers to inclusion and career progression often faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Dr Claire Davies, Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at The University of Exeter said: “The primary aim of the network and its events is to counter the isolation through invisibility often felt by LGBTQ+ STEMM professionals.

“We also provide LGBTQ+ STEMM role models to young adults and aim to change public perceptions about the types of people who “do science.”

The evening event is open to all to attend, and will be held at: Rougemont Room, Exeter Library, Castle Street, Exeter. Each talk will last 15 minutes and there will be opportunity for attendees to network and ask questions to the speakers.

Established in 2018, PRISM (Pride and Representation in STEMM Matters) Exeter is a network for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies working and studying locally in STEMM.

PRISM Exeter’s activities during 2023 are supported via a Royal Society of Chemistry Inclusion and Diversity Fund grant.