SEAS Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

The School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) at Yale strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of its community to learn, work, and live our lives together. We acknowledge, welcome, and celebrate our differences, including those related to age, race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, nationality, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, and socioeconomic status. We work to prevent implicit biases from negatively impacting our community. Motivated by the understanding that research and education benefit from the supportive involvement of all people, we are committed to broadening participation and diversity in our departments and in our professions. We actively support the recruitment, retention, and success of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty from varied backgrounds.


Action Plan

Goals and actions strategically developed for SEAS to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as fundamental in the pursuit of academic excellence.

yale belonging campaign logo

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Resources

A collection of resources at Yale, including links to policies, anonymous reporting hotlines, mental health & wellness, affinity groups, cultural centers, and many more resources.

yale etched in brick

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Committee

History and current membership of the SEAS DEIB committee as well as a form to anonymously contact us.

images of students in the yale campus

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Dashboard

Data about SEAS graduate student body composition, as well as statistics about admissions, retention, and job placement.

representative image of tissue engineering

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Fall 2022 Workshops

Workshop
When
Where
Intended Audience
More Info
Faculty in Conversation: Building Anti-Racist Assessment by Design
9/28, 12 - 1:30 pm
In person
Faculty
Teaching and Learning Discussion: Belonging in the Classroom
11/7, 1 - 2 pm
Zoom
Faculty
Teaching Sensitive Topics in the STEM Classroom
11/15, 12 - 1 pm
 
Faculty
Info to come
Fundamentals of Teaching in STEM
9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27
4:30 - 6 pm
In person
Graduate students, postdocs
Fundamentals of Equitable Teaching
9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29
5:30 - 7 pm
In person, Poorvu Center
Graduate students, postdocs
ITW: Inclusive Assessment Practices
10/4, 5:30 - 7 pm
In person
Graduate students, postdocs
Mutual Respect in the Workplace
10/4, 10 am - 12 pm
11/4, 9 - 11 am
Zoom
Staff
Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts
10/25, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
12/14, 10 am - 12 pm
Zoom
Staff
Trust Builders: Establishing a Culture of Trust
11/9, 3 - 5 pm
12/14, 10 am - 12 pm
Zoom
Staff
Unconscious Bias
10/18, 10 am - 12 pm
11/2, 3 - 5 pm
12/6, 1 - 3 pm
Zoom
Staff
 

GAINS Conference Volunteer Opportunities

This year, Yale will be hosting the annual GAINS (Girls Advancing in STEM) Conference on November 14th and 15th, and seeks volunteers. GAINS is an extraordinary nonprofit organization that inspires and empowers high school girls to envision, prepare for, and pursue academic and professional futures in STEM. Your participation can make a difference in the careers of GAINS students and help enrich STEM fields through inclusion and support of these promising young individuals.

The GAINS Conference would not be a success without the help of many volunteers at our hosting institution! If you, your postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students would like to offer a bit of their time, please REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER for one of the opportunities below:

Monday November 14th (events will take place on Yale University’s Main Campus)

Lead a workshop session (1-2pm, concurrent with the tours) • A workshop session is a 45-60 minute session meant to engage participants in an activity related to your work. • You can present the workshop once or in tandem to two different student groups.

Host a tour of your research space or building (1-2pm, concurrent with workshops) • A 45-60 minute walking tour meant to expose students to your work environment while engaging them in conversation about your work or the work being done in that space.

Be part of a career mixer (3:00pm- 4:30pm) • The career mixer will feature small group discussions about your STEM career and your path to your current position. • Volunteers will sit at a table and every 6 minutes a new group of students will sit with you to discuss your career. We will provide some questions to get discussion started! • There will be time at the end to reconnect and catch up on discussions that were cut short.

Tuesday November 15th (events will take place on Yale University’s West Campus)

Host a tour of your research space or building (11:15am -12:15pm, concurrent with workshops) • A 40-60 minute walking tour meant to expose students to your work environment while engaging them in conversation about your work or the work being done in that space.

Present a technical talk (2 sessions: 10:00 am - 10:25am, 10:40am - 11:05am) • A technical talk is a 25-minute talk about your work geared towards motivated high school students. These are small group sessions (~10-12 students) that will allow for interaction between the presenter and students. • Participants can offer their talk twice between 10:00am and 11:00am

REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER HERE

Past Workshops

Spring 2022 SEAS DEIB Workshops:

As part of the SEAS DEIB plan, we are committed to offering evidence-based diversity training for the SEAS community. Our goal is for all staff, faculty, postdocs and graduate students in our community to attend one of these workshops. These workshops below were offered in the fall; you’re welcome to attend the same workshop and/or a new one.

Workshop
Date, Time
Facilitator
Location
SEAS Point of Contact
Inclusive Teaching (for graduate students and postdocs)
March 8, 4- 5 p.m.
Suzanne Young
Zoom
Leading Inclusive Lab Meetings
March 11, 2-3 p.m.
Jenny Frederick
Zoom
Inclusive Teaching (for faculty and staff)
March 14, 3-4:30 p.m.
Melissa Scheve
IN PERSON: Poorvu 120C
Implicit Bias
March 18, 10:30-12 p.m.
Darin Latimore
IN PERSON: Teal Room, 17 Hillhouse

 

In addition, we encourage all SEAS community members to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities available to us, with belonging-related events happening nearly every day.

Upcoming campus opportunities for staff:

  • Everyday Unconscious Bias, 4/6, 11am
  • Respecting All Connecticut Families: The Legal Parent-Child Relationship for Unmarried, Same-Sex, and Nonbiological Parents, 4/14 4-5:15 p.m.
    Admission is free; registration is required.


    Who is a parent in Connecticut? The Connecticut Parentage Act, which came into effect in January 2022, is the most significant update to Connecticut’s parentage laws in decades. It ensures that all children in the state have equal access to the security of a legal parent-child relationship regardless of the circumstances of their birth or the marital status, gender, or sexual orientation of their parents. Learn more about parentage in Connecticut from Professor Douglas NeJaime, the CPA's primary drafter.

    Douglas NeJaime, the Anne Urowsky Professor of Law, will be in conversation with Deborah Stanley-McAulay, Associate Vice President for Employee Engagement and Workplace Culture.
    This is a Belonging at Yale event, introduced by Kimberly Goff-Crews, Secretary and Vice President for University Life.

  • OUCH! That Stereotype Hurts, 4/22, 12 pm

For more information and to register, visit Yale's Training and Certification website (connection to the Yale VPN is required to access the site).


Resources:

- Best Practices for Inclusive Teaching in Yale Computer Science, Yale CS Dept

- Inclusive Lab Meetings in Engineering, Jenny Frederick, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning:
Ten simple rules for productive lab meetings (also many good references)
Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab
Reflections and Actions for Creating an Inclusive Lab Environment
To Build an Inclusive Culture, Start with Inclusive Meetings
Inclusive Zoom meetings