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Event Series Event Series: Women’s Week

Unsung Heroes at the U

Unsung Heroes at the U

March 18 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm MDT

Virtual Event

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This event is open to everyone

Event Organizer:

Women’s Week Planning Committee

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illustrations of women doing various activities: protesting, mentoring, crocheting, and playing with a child. Untold Stories and Everyday Heroism, Women's Week, March 18-22, 2024

Women have consistently demonstrated an unwavering spirit, from the unsung heroines who toiled in the shadows of history to the contemporary trailblazers breaking barriers in every field. Join us for an inspiring panel to honor the heroic women and femmes who have shaped our state and institution. These remarkable individuals will share their wisdom and stories of unwavering courage and perseverance.

From groundbreaking achievements to everyday acts of resilience, these trailblazers have left an enduring legacy. Let their journeys inspire us as we celebrate their impact on our community and beyond.

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Auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.

Women’s Week 2024 is sponsored by Hip & Humble. The Week is organized in partnership with various campus and community organizations across the University of Utah and Salt Lake City.

Speakers

Marjorie A. Chan smiles in front of a textile art piece. She is wearing an open high-neck blazer and shirt. She has a short pixie cut hairstyle.

Marjorie A. Chan, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Geology
The University of Utah

Panelist

Dr. Marjorie Chan (she/her) has a long career of sedimentary research in the Western U.S., deducing fascinating stories of Earth’s landscapes and applying some of them to Mars. She has focused much of her research on the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, which is backdrop to much of the magnificent scenery of southern Utah. She is extremely active in service, including being chair of the U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences and many roles in the professional societies, plus committees and boards. She has been recipient of important awards including national recognition for Distinguished Service, for lifetime achievements in Sedimentary Geology, and as a Distinguished International Lecturer. She enjoys development and relationships with alumni, and helping make opportunities for more an inclusive science.

Irishia Hubbard Romaine in a long sleeve, button-up woven top. She has shoulder-length hair with small wavy braids

Irishia Hubbard Romaine, MFA

Alumni
The University of Utah

Panelist

Irishia Hubbard Romaine (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist who works primarily with the embodied Black female experience. Her artistic practice is rooted in her cultural identity as a Black female, choreographer, and filmmaker from the South. She is a 2024 Mellon Arts & Practitioner Fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration (RITM) and the inaugural recipient of the Donald McKayle Legacy scholarship.

Irishia’s research in screendance examines the unwritten history of Black moving image arts by analyzing Africanist Aesthetics in American dance, photography, and film. She currently hodsShort-Term Fellowship at New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture dedicated to supporting her proposed project, Reimagining Screendance: Reclamation of Black Aesthetics in Dance Film History.

Irishia earned an MFA in Modern Dance and a Screendance certification from the University of Utah, where she received the Ellen Bromberg Dance Media Award, the College of Fine Arts Creative Research Award, and a University Teaching Assistantship (UTA). Her other roles include professional stager for the Donald McKayle Legacy and Visibility Program Director for Dance Camera West.

Julie L. Valentine sitting at a table in a scarf and blazer. She has straight shoulder-length hair with side-swept bangs

Julie L. Valentine, PhD, RN, SANE-A, FAAFS, FAAN

Professor & Ida May “Dotty” Barnes RN and D. Keith Barnes MD Presidential Endowed Chair
College of Nursing
The University of Utah

Panelist

Dr. Valentine joined the University of Utah College of Nursing in October 2023 as a Professor and the Ida May “Dotty” Barnes RN and D. Keith Barnes MD Presidential Endowed Chair. Dr. Valentine conducts research to inform interdisciplinary practice and policy and improve criminal justice response in sexual assault and gender-based violence cases. Dr. Valentine and her research team have multiple research studies utilizing their large, growing database of ~13,000 sexual assault cases. They are keenly aware that each sexual assault case represents an individual who suffered sexual assault trauma and strive to represent these survivors’ voices. Dr. Valentine is primary author of three awarded federal grants since 2015 totaling 3.45 million dollars.

Dr. Valentine has received several awards and recognitions for her research and policy work. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2020 and a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) in 2024. Dr. Valentine was the first nurse to be awarded the Forensic Nurse Scientist Award by AAFS in 2023. Dr. Valentine received the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology in the Academia/Research category in 2023 – the state’s highest civilian scientific and technological achievement award.