News Graduate Student Talk with J-WAFS student Elena Sobrino
Carolyn Blais & Maria Paula Acosta February 17, 2023
![Elena Sobrino's backdrop was Gilberto Esparza’s Plantas autofotosinthéticas [Autophotosynthetic Plants], part of the Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere exhibit.](/sites/default/files/imce/events/2023/Feb/Elena%20Sobrino%20Event.png)
Elena Sobrino, a student in the J-WAFS community and a PhD candidate in MIT’s History, Anthropology, Science, Technology and Society Program, explained the ongoing water toxicity crisis in Flint, MI at a recent event at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center. She gave an overview of the social, economic, political, and racial factors at play in the situation. Her work as an anthropologist and ethnographer allowed her to interview and understand the community directly affected, and also what they envision for the future of Flint, with ideas including public gardens and greenery spaces. The backdrop of her talk was Gilberto Esparza’s Plantas autofotosinthéticas [Autophotosynthetic Plants], part of the Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere exhibit.
"There was a certain common sense understanding that the water was dangerous, even if people did not know the exact chemicals in their water."
—Elena Sobrino, PhD candidate
