Interview with Isabel Escobar, August 7, 2018

Partial Transcript: We are here at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History on the University of Kentucky campus to talk to talk to Dr. Isabel Escobar from the College of Engineering.

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about her current careers at the University of Kentucky, a scientific journal, and a group called Women for Science. She discusses the happiest moment of her life, which was successfully adopting her daughter, Tessa. She also discusses her greatest accomplishments in her career and life.

Keywords: Adoptees; Adoption; Advocates; Editors; Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy; Moves; Moving; Role models; Spouses; Women for Science

Subjects: Families.; Latin Americans.; Occupations; Open adoption.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in engineering and science; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher); Women--Employment.

Partial Transcript: So, how long have you lived in Lexington?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about the physical changes she has witnessed on campus and the lack of demographic transition within the College of Engineering. She also discusses the characters that have defined her experience thus far including a faculty mentor, Dibakar Bhattacharyya, and horses.

Keywords: Advocates; Demographics; Dibakar Bhattacharyya; Engineering students; Gatton Student Center; Horses; Mentors; Minorities in engineering; Role models; UK; Women in engineering

Subjects: College campuses.; College environment; Educational change.; Employment--Kentucky; Latin Americans.; Minorities in higher education; Universities and colleges--Employees; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in engineering and science; Women--Education (Higher); Women--Employment.

Partial Transcript: So, now we're going to take it back, um, to your early days. So, where were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about her childhood in Brazil, as well as her father's career as a pilot. She talks about the importance of entertainment for teenagers like the dancing she did in Brazil. Escobar discusses the role of powerful women in her life both within her family and her Catholic education.

Keywords: After school activities; Brazil; Catholicism; Catholics; Catholics sisters; Clubs; Dancing; Entertainment; Friends; Grandparents; Nicknames; Nuns; Parenting; Parents; Pilots; Reading; Rio, Brazil; Role models

Subjects: Childhood; Communities.; Culture.; Education; Families.; Language and languages.; Latin American students.; Latin Americans.; Music & musicians; Schools; Women in engineering and science

Partial Transcript: So, what do you recall wanting to be when you grew up, maybe the first time?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about the various careers she's considered and what ultimately led her to decide to become an engineer. She also discusses fulfilling her lifelong dream of visiting Egypt.

Keywords: Ancient Egypt; Anthropologists; Anthropology; Careers; Dream jobs; Dreams; Egypt; Egyptologists; Egyptology; Engineering; Engineers; Firefighters; Jobs; Pyramids; Roles; Trainers; Work

Subjects: Childhood; Communities.; Education; Educators; Employment; Families.; Latin American students.; Schools; Women in engineering and science

Partial Transcript: Uh, let me just ask you: have you or your family ever lived in a country that's been affected by war?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about living under a military dictatorship in Brazil, including the police taking her uncle because of his opposition to the regime.

Keywords: Brazil; Dictatorships; Family; Military dictatorships; Parents; Political oppositions; Secret Police; Wars

Subjects: Crime.; Families.; Family histories.; Latin Americans.; Law enforcement.; Police officers; Police-community relations.; Police.; Politics and government

Partial Transcript: So, any stories or memories during that early period of your life that come to mind during a difficult time that someone's insights, or guidance, or mentoring made you reflect on any decisions you had to make?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar discusses the unhealthy and abusive nature of her first marriage and how the wisdom of her family helped her through that time. She also talks about her current marriage and what contributes to its success.

Keywords: Abusive marriages; Control; Controlling spouses; Courage; Difficulties; Divorcees; Grandparents; Husbands; Remarriage; Spousal abuse; Therapy; Thirties; Twenties; Verbal abuse

Subjects: Communication.; Divorce and remarriage; Divorce and your family; Education; Families; Family histories.; Gender issues; Marriage and family life

Partial Transcript: So, how many languages do you speak?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about the responses she and other minorities receive when others are uncomfortable with their self-expressions. She also discusses what it means to not be the stereotypical engineer.

Keywords: Appearances; Barriers; Bias; Biases; Challenges; Commonalities; Confusion; Contributions; Definitions; Differences; Dimensions; Diversity; Education; Educational institutions; Emotional; Engineering; Implicit bias; Latina; Latinas; Listening; Needs; Personal space; Processes; Stereotypes; Stereotyping; Strategies; Thoughts; Unconscious biases; Underrepresented groups; Unique

Subjects: African Americans--Education (Higher); Communities.; Culture.; Discrimination in education.; Discrimination in higher education; Discrimination.; Education; Language and languages.; Language.; Latin American students.; Latin Americans.; Lesbian couples.; Minorities in higher education; Minorities--Social conditions.; Race relations--Kentucky; Stereotypes (Social psychology); University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: So, you have done a TED Talk.

Segment Synopsis: Escobar discusses her research about water and how to make it safer, which was inspired by watching the outbreaks of cholera as a child. She talks about educating the public during an extreme instance of water pollution while working at the University of Toledo. Escobar talks about the dangers of underestimating diarrhea as a culture and the importance of investment in clean water.

Keywords: Cholera; Diarrhea; Diseases; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Filters; Flint, Michigan; Food Drug Administration (FDA); Infectious diseases; Lead; Membranes; Oil spills; Preventable deaths; Preventable diseases; Saline solutions; Spills; TED Talk; TED Talks; Toledo, Ohio; Toxins; University of Toledo; Water filtration; Water pollution; Water treatments; Water-borne diseases

Subjects: American culture; City administrators; Communities.; Culture.; Pollution control equipment industry--United States.; Pollution control industry--United States.; Pollution--Economic aspects.; Water & sanitation currents

Partial Transcript: So, let me ask you, in your experience, um, what ways do you think diversity is important to someone in the role of looking at ways to treat water like you are?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar discusses how diversity plays a role in her research and access to clean water more generally. Escobar talks about how cities and other diverse areas in the U.S. are more susceptible to water-borne diseases because of a lack of preventative measures as well as wealth to purchase clean water in the event of severe pollution. She also talks about how suburbs and their more homogeneous populations are far less susceptible. She discusses this trend on a global scale with countries like India.

Keywords: Africa; China; City; Clean water; Diverse; Economic gaps; Finances; Homogeneity; Homogeneous; India; Inner-cities; Resource allotment; Resources; Socioeconomic status; Socioeconomics; Suburbs; Unrepresented; Water; Water-borne diseases; Wealth

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Health and hygiene.; African Americans--Housing.; American culture; City administrators; Communities.; Hispanic American neighborhoods; Hispanic Americans--Economic conditions.; Neighborhoods.

Partial Transcript: What does it mean for an institution--uh, just let me just kinda back up--what does it mean for an educational institution to have a commitment to diversity?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar discusses the importance of diversity in education and engineering especially. She talks about how conversations are crucial in promoting diversity.

Keywords: Adversaries; Advocates; Advocating; Affirmative Action; Commitments; Conversations; Diversity; Fear; Impostor Syndrome; Jamie Hestekin; Latina; Openness; Opportunities; Perspectives; Power; Prejudice; Questions; Relationships; Striving; Taking; Threatened

Subjects: Communication.; Communities.; Culture.; Discrimination in education.; Discrimination in employment.; Discrimination.; Employment; Latin Americans.; Minorities; Minorities--Social conditions.; Stereotypes (Social psychology); Women in engineering and science

Partial Transcript: So, how could you handle a situation in which someone has made a sexist or racist or homophobic remark in your presence?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about examples of her responses to sexist and racist harassment she has suffered. She also discusses what makes a good advocate in those situations.

Keywords: #MeToo; Advocates; Advocating; Gender discrimination; Jamie Hestekin; Jokes; MeToo; MeToo movement; Mentors; Mentorship; Prejudice; Race discrimination; Respectful; Sex discrimination; Workplace cultures; Workplaces

Subjects: Culture.; Discrimination in education.; Discrimination in employment.; Discrimination in higher education; Discrimination.; Minorities in higher education; Sex discrimination in employment.; Sex discrimination in higher education.; Sex role in the work environment.; Sexual harassment of women.; Sexual harassment.

Partial Transcript: Let me ask you, what areas of diversity do you think you have more to learn about and how would you go about doing that?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about the mistakes she has made while learning about diversity as well as how there is always more to learn. She talks about especially the LGBTQ community's lack of representation in engineering.

Keywords: "Colored"; Authentic self; Closeted; Diversity; Education; Gender; LGBTQ; Learning; Mistakes; People of color; Secrets; UK; Women's Center; Women's centers; Workplace environments; Workplaces

Subjects: Communities.; Culture.; Discrimination.; Homosexuality.; Minorities; Minorities--Social conditions.; Religion; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in engineering and science

Partial Transcript: What do people not know about you that you would like them to know, or you feel they might be surprised to know if they knew it?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about her love of horror and running.

Keywords: Audiobooks; Exercise; Genres; Hobbies; Horror; Intellectual horror; Interests; Novels; Reading; Runners; Running; Stephen King

Subjects: Childhood; Children; Communication; Communities; Culture; Recreation

Partial Transcript: And, le, let's first rewind the tape. Can you talk too about where your career has taken you post, like, your undergraduate work?

Segment Synopsis: Escobar discusses her education at University of Central Florida, both undergraduate and graduate. She also talks about her career at the University of Toledo and why she came to the University of Kentucky in 2015.

Keywords: Academia; Brazil; Dibakar Bhattacharyya; Divorces; Fathers; Grants; Growth; Membrane sciences; Orlando, Florida; Paperwork; Pilots; Research; UK; Undergraduate research; University of Central Florida; University of Toledo

Subjects: College choice; College teaching.; Education; Education--Political aspects; Latin American students.; Latin Americans.; Minorities in higher education; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in engineering and science

Partial Transcript: So, then for the bucket list.

Segment Synopsis: Escobar talks about her professional goal to publish a scientific paper and her personal goals to travel more and join the 50 States Marathon Club.

Keywords: 50 States Marathon Club; Bucket lists; Goals; Marathons; Publishing; Research; Running; Scientific papers; Spouses; TED Talk; TED Talks; Traveling; Travels; UK

Subjects: College choice; Education; Families.; Recreation; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in engineering and science