COSAM News Articles 2022 April Tyrone Hayes seminar and discussion – April 14 at 3:30 p.m.; Please read open letter before attending

Tyrone Hayes seminar and discussion – April 14 at 3:30 p.m.; Please read open letter before attending

Published: 03/31/2022

Please join us for a seminar, discussion, and reception with Tyrone Hayes (UC-Berkeley). This event is hosted by the DBS: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and COSAM's Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity.

‘From Silent Spring to Silent Night: A Tale of Toads and Men, A Black Man’s Journey through Science and Academia’

April 14 at 3:30 p.m. in the Science Center Auditorium.

Tyrone B. Hayes is a professor and co-chair in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California (UC), Berkeley. He is also formally associated at UC Berkeley with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and several research groups, including endocrinology, molecular toxicology, and energy and resources. He has also been appointed the Judy Chandler Webb Distinguished Chair for Innovative Teaching and Research.

Hayes was born in South Carolina and received a BA degree in biology from Harvard University in 1989. He then received his PhD from UC, Berkeley in 1993 for his research investigating the role of hormones play in modulating developmental responses in amphibians to environmental changes. After completing his PhD, he began post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health and the Cancer Research Laboratories at UC Berkeley (funded by the National Science Foundation) but was quickly hired as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley in 1994. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2000 and to full professor in 2003.

Hayes’ research focuses on developmental endocrinology with an emphasis on evolution and environmental regulation of growth and development. For the last 20 years, the role of endocrine disrupting contaminants, particularly pesticides, has been a major focus. Hayes investigates the impact of chemical contaminants on environmental health and public health, with a specific interest in the role of pesticides in global amphibian declines and environmental justice concerns associated with targeted exposure of racial and ethnic minorities to endocrine disruptors and the role that exposure plays in health care disparities.

In 2020, Hayes wrote an open letter to the academic community about his experiences as a black man in academia. This letter has opened the eyes and motivated many to work toward making academia a more welcoming environment for people of color.

Hayes’ presentation will emphasize the inevitable intersection between his race and path through science. The presentation will end with a discussion of the open letter.

To facilitate discussion, please read the letter before his visit. The letter can be found at https://aub.ie/HayesOpenLetter