The College of Science presents its Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series, featuring Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, professor of soil biogeochemistry and Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology at the University of California, Merced. As director of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science from May 2022 to March 2024, Dr. Berhe was the first person of color to direct the office, which is the single largest funder of the physical sciences in the U.S. Her talk is suited for a general audience and will be titled "From Roots to Reach: One Scientist's Quest to Understand Soils, Confront Climate Change, and Open Doors in STEM." A reception will precede the talk at 3:30 p.m. outside SEIR 298.