Caltech Freshmen and Faculty Participate in Book Discussion

On September 23, fourteen Caltech faculty and staff members led roundtable discussion groups with the incoming freshman class of 2019 about this year’s freshman summer reading, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book, written by Rebecca Skloot, tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge and used in scientific research.

“We chose to assign this book to the freshmen because it focuses on a diverse set of issues,” says Lesley Nye, associate dean of undergraduate students. “It’s a humanistic read on scientific research ethics—and also on race and class in America.”

The book and discussion are part of a larger initiative by the deans and the Institute to focus on celebrating diversity. Other discussion leaders, in addition to faculty, included the residental life coordinators, representatives from the Caltech Center for Diversity, and Caltech’s Title IX coordinator, Felicia Hunt.

“Diversity is appreciating multiple perspectives and backgrounds,” Nye says. “It’s about all components of identity, embracing everything that everyone is. And starting these conversations between faculty and students is another great example of Caltech’s tradition of integration and collaboration.”