College of the Environment Dean Lisa J. Graumlich
College of the Environment Dean Lisa J. Graumlich

UW Environment Dean Lisa J. Graumlich shares her thoughts about LGBT STEM Day, celebrated July 5th, on the American Geophysical Union’s From the Prow blog.

“So, why do we need a special day for LGBT STEM? The data speak for themselves. According to a 2013 study in Nature, 43 percent of our scientific community is not comfortable being out at work,” Graumlich says. “It breaks my heart because I know what it’s like to live in that shadow. I suspect that those individuals are paying the price for their silence in reduced creativity, collegiality, and mental health.”

Dean Graumlich hopes we will all acknowledge LGBT STEM Day through starting a conversation, quoting data or expressing empathy.

Graumlich became one of AGU’s Board of Directors in 2017. 

Read more on AGU's From the Prow blog »