Fall 2024 | 2024 iBio Conference

Role of identity in mentorship at the forefront of the 2024 iBio conference 

By Héctor L. Torres Vera

 

The smell of coffee floated through the air of the second floor Li Ka Shing lobby. A set of four tables arranged in the shape of an “L” were all neatly adorned with white tablecloths. They held trays of fruit and batches of bagels and cream cheese. A registration table hosted both conference organizers and a variety of “fidget toys,” small gadgets used by many people to self-regulate by tactile and visual input, particularly within neurodivergent communities.
 

On the morning of August 27, 2024, about one hundred attendees gathered to attend the third annual Inclusive Biology (iBio) conference, seven years after the founding of Inclusive Molecular and Cell Biology (iMCB) by PhD alumni Lisa Eshun-Wilson and student collaborators. Programming for the iBio conference builds off iMCB’s spearheading efforts in increasing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice (DEIBJ) across the bioscience community at UC Berkeley.
 

From keynote presentations, workshops, and panels featuring staff and faculty, the day was filled with exciting and thought-provoking conversations on the role and importance of identity in mentor-mentee relationships. 
 

On why "bottled water" isn’t enough

 

"Professional is personal," declared Dr. John Matsui, the first speaker on schedule.
 

He continued, "the lens we use in our professional sphere comes from a personal place. Our experiences, our first languages, with whom we grew up, our socio-economic status…"
 

It's this personal truth that led Matsui, alongside MCB Professor Caroline Kane and Dr. Corey Goodman, to establish the UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program (BSP). For two decades, the initiative has served over 3500 undergraduates, offering students of all backgrounds access to faculty advising, study groups, research experiences, workshops, and more.
 

Matsui shared that his own experience as an "outsider"—disconnected from his Japanese heritage and culture due to events like the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Executive Order 9066— deeply shaped his professional trajectory. “I didn’t grow up speaking Japanese,” Matsui revealed. “I was denied access to my heritage.” The feeling of being on the margins of both society and academia fueled his commitment to ensuring that students from underrepresented backgrounds have the tools to succeed, not just by surviving in environments not designed with them in mind, but by transforming those environments into spaces students can thrive in.
 

BSP goes beyond offering academic support; it serves as a space where students can find mentorship that recognizes their identities. Matsui emphasized that good mentoring is about more than just technical knowledge–it’s about teaching students how to navigate the "hidden curriculum." This hidden curriculum refers to the unspoken rules, values, and expectations that exist within academic institutions. As Matsui explained, "One size does not fit all. Success has to be co-constructed between the mentor and the student."
 

In the broader context of the academic climate, particularly within STEM fields, many of the messages students receive can be alienating. Matsui recounted some of the harmful statements he's heard over the years: "This is science. Leave your culture at the door," or "If we’d admit the right students, there’d be no diversity problem." BSP counters these attitudes by ensuring an environment where students don’t have to leave any part of themselves behind.
 

Matsui also challenged the audience to rethink what it means to mentor effectively, calling out the tendency of institutions to “bottle water” the problems of equity and inclusion. Matsui alluded to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and how bottled water, while essential to ensure community safety and health, does not address systemic issues in water distribution systems. Likewise, institutions cannot solely implement “quick-fixes,” but must invest in institutional transformation. He envisions programs like BSP as incubators for institutional change, where best practices in advising, teaching, and mentoring are developed, scaled, and implemented to close equity gaps across the university.  
 

“My dream is to no longer have to run BSP,” he concluded. “Today’s students need help, and we need them. They’re our futures.”  
 

Arts and crafts highlight inequities in access to resources
 

While Dr. John Matsui challenged attendees to rethink mentorship, Professor Lorenzo Lones led a session that brought the conversation directly into their hands. A neuroscientist by training, Lones is a recent addition to the MCB department whose research focuses on understanding student perceptions of STEM classroom dynamics, particularly for historically marginalized groups. 
 

"Many introductory classes systematically exclude students from underrepresented backgrounds," Lones noted in a later interview. "The question is, why?"
 

This was at the heart of Lones' interactive workshop at the iBio conference, where groups of participants—students, postdocs, and faculty alike—were challenged to build mobiles out of materials they were randomly assigned. Some participants were given well-stocked bags containing scissors, glitter, and coat hangers, while others received only a piece of string and a single hanger.
 

The exercise was more than just an art project. As Lones debriefed with the group afterward, he asked them to reflect on when they first realized that their resources were unequal. He mentions a consistent takeaway he’s noticed when he implements this workshop: those with fewer resources were immediately aware of their disadvantage, while those with more resources were often oblivious. "It’s a highly emotional activity, but we need to talk about these things, no matter how hard they are."
 

This exercise powerfully illustrates the myth of meritocracy in education and the deficits in how students are evaluated. In a system where some students are under-resourced but still expected to perform at the same level as their more privileged peers, failures are often attributed to the individual rather than the structural inequalities they face. It is up to those in positions of power to elicit change in these circumstances.
 

"If I had just added the instruction: 'I expect everyone to share materials and ask colleagues for help when needed,' the entire experience would have been different," Lones remarked. "In just 13 words, I could have structured the space to be more equitable."
 

For Lones, this simple exercise encapsulates a much larger issue in academia: the need to design learning environments that allow all students to show up, learn, and thrive, regardless of the resources they bring with them. "How can I get everyone that shows up, regardless of how they do, to feel like a scientist when they step into these four (classroom) walls?" Lones asked. "I cannot control that you have access to a computer, but I can design my class where you won’t need one, or give you resources where you can get one,” he ended, highlighting the influence and agency instructors have in shaping undergraduate experiences in the classroom.
 

Going full circle: a Berkeley graduate builds diversity from the bottom (of the sea) up

 

As the day at the iBio conference progressed, tyrone B. hayes, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, reflected on his path to leadership and the urgency of institutional change. A biologist who came to UC Berkeley purely for his love of science, he discovered a deep passion for teaching and mentoring along the way. 
 

Hayes emphasized the widening gap between students who have access to resources and those who don’t, particularly after the pandemic, which left some without teachers for key subjects like science. However, he struck a hopeful note, discussing programs like the Biology Scholars Program and the new SEED (STEM Excellence through Equity & Diversity) initiative, designed to institutionalize change. "We have to continue to sustain and nurture these programs. They're not for any one group—they help everyone."
 

Closing the day’s events, Professor Paul Barber, who completed his PhD at UC Berkeley’s Integrative Biology department in professor hayes’ group, delivered the final keynote. His work with The Diversity Project (TDP) at UC Los Angeles has led to transformative results in the field of marine biology. "In 1998, only 0.37% of PhDs in marine science were conferred to Latinos," Barber noted, reflecting on his unlikely path from a low-income Mexican American family in Tucson, Arizona, to becoming a professor at UCLA. "I should not be here," Barber said frankly, underscoring that his success was not due to the traditional paths many expect for scientists.
 

Founded in 2005, TDP was Barber’s response to the glaring lack of diversity in marine sciences. It is a student-centered research experience that removes barriers and fosters individual identity development within science. Unlike traditional models where students are slotted into existing research projects, TDP mentors students in designing their own experiments aligned with their interests. This shift empowers students to see themselves as independent scientists.
 

The success of TDP also lies in its tiered mentoring model, where graduate students, previous TDP participants, post-docs, and community members provide guidance at every stage. This sustained mentoring approach offers support beyond the research project itself, including scientific conference attendance, networking symposia, and even engaging students’ families in the process.
 

The impact is profound: TDP has seen dramatic increases in students’ desires to pursue graduate programs, careers in marine science, and field research. Barber shared quotes from former participants, one of whom said, “It showed me that I am capable of going to graduate school.” Others expressed how TDP allowed them to understand the research lifestyle and to gain the confidence to ask scientific questions and pursue them.
 

Barber’s keynote concluded with a call to action. “Continuing traditional methods will yield traditional results. Shifting to student-centered training models combined with tiered mentoring yields better outcomes, without compromising the quality of the science.” The room was left energized by his message that making science more inclusive is an active process, one that both students and faculty must be part of.
 

A resounding success, with more to come soon

 

The conference ended in its customary way with a lively mixer outside Barker Hall, complete with a variety of bubble teas and lawn games. After a day of discussion, learning, and community, one attendee attests, “I could look around the room and see a community that looks like me. The attendees, the panelists… I didn't feel like I didn't belong. My imposter's syndrome was gone.” 
 

Aubrey Green, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging for MCB and the Division of Biological Sciences, was recognized for his critical role in organizing the many moving parts of the day. Green worked along an incredible organizing committee of MCB graduate students, university staff, department faculty. Together, they created a space where mentorship and identity could be discussed openly, and tangible steps toward inclusion could be taken. 
 

In the end, the third annual iBio conference served as a powerful reminder that the path to an inclusive and equitable scientific community requires sustained, intentional efforts. Green adds, “No matter who you are, everyone wants to feel like they belong. That’s real, and judging from the feedback, we achieved just that.” Green is also excited for the momentum built by the organizing committee and the conference, with new Graduate Gathering events in the docket.
 

Ultimately, mentorship—rooted in awareness of identity and the structures that shape opportunity—has the potential to transform lives, both within academia and beyond.
 

 

Are you interested in becoming part of the iBio/Graduate Gatherings organizing committee? Would you like to be a part of transformative initiatives in the biosciences community at Berkeley? Check out the MCB Equity and Inclusion and the iBio landing page websites, which contain information on current and future events, volunteer opportunities, and relevant contact information.

 

Banner image credit: Madi Frances McCloud 

 

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