Equity in Action
Advancing Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM Organizations Presentation
2023 Equity in Action
UConn hosted the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine’s for their in person presentation of their consensus report: Advancing Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM Organizations.
- When: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 10:00-4:00 pm and Friday, October 6, 10-2:00 pm
- Where: UConn Hartford Business Center, 100 Constitution Plaza
- Who: NASEM Representatives, UConn Leadership, Faculty, Staff, Students
We invited the UConn community to attend a two-day workshop to recognize, reimagine and recommend action steps toward equity, inclusion and belonging for faculty and students at UConn Hartford. We took a deep dive into the National Academies findings and the research that led to this consensus report of actionable recommendations to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. Leadership, Faculty, Staff and Students envisioned what inclusive teaching could look like at UConn Hartford and created actionable recommendations for change at all levels of the university.
This workshop is a partnership across UConn Hartford, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine.
Agenda
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Martina Rosenberg
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of Teaching and Learning Assessment
martina.rosenberg@uconn.edu
Dr. Martina Rosenberg provides academic units with guidance on instructional effectiveness and inclusive practices through assessment, including SET+ strategies. Through initiatives, workshops, and consultations she is promoting evidence-based pedagogy, scholarly teaching, scholarship in education and professional growth for faculty and graduate students.
Laurie McCarty
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Executive Director of Faculty Development
laurie.mccarty@uconn.edu
Laurie coordinates faculty development efforts across the campus community, working closely with the faculty development team, CETL colleagues, and campus leaders. She is an experienced faculty member, educational developer, and higher education administrator whose career began in special education and teacher preparation. Her research interests include change leadership, educational development, and reflective practice. In her faculty and leadership roles, Laurie has engaged in efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice while supporting faculty and staff in all aspects of their professional growth.
Xinnian Chen
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Professor in Residence, Physiology and Neurobiology
xinnian.chen@uconn.edu
Dr. Xinnian Chen is a Professor in Residence in Physiology and Neurobiology. She teaches Enhanced Human Anatomy and Physiology and runs the HHMI-funded Summer Institute on STEM Teaching training program. As Associate Director, she works to advance evidence based approaches to learning and systematic assessment of pedagogical innovations.
Stephany Santos
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Executive Associate Director of the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion
Assistant Professor in Residence in Biomedical Engineering
Email: stephany.santos@uconn.edu
Dr. Stephany Santos currently serves as Executive Director of the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion and Assistant Professor in Residence in Biomedical Engineering. She has her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from UConn, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano in Italy and a second M.S. from UConn (also in Mechanical Engineering), and Ph.D. (also in Biomedical Engineering). Stephany also has a long history of leadership in the School of Engineering. She is one of the original founders and co-presidents of Engineering Ambassadors (EA) at UConn, dating back to 2010, and she has remained engaged with EA as an active contributor, graduate advisor, and instructor in numerous professional development classes. Most recently she co-developed and co-instructed the BOSS LADI course in the institute dedicated to supporting underrepresented women in STEM.
Lara Chiaverini
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of Inclusive Excellence in STEM Teaching and Learning
lara.chiaverini@uconn.edu
Lara is co-appointed between CETL and the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion (VII) in the School of Engineering. In her role at CETL, she focuses on faculty development through Learning Communities and the co-creation of meaningful assessment of effective and inclusive practices. In her role at VII, she leads the Inclusive Excellence Program for Justice, Equity and Transformation (JET), and supports faculty in diversity and broadening participation efforts.
Durga Nyame
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Director of Undergraduate Equitable Success
Office: Engineering II, 320A
Email: durga.nyame@uconn.edu
Durga earned her undergraduate degree in English and was a member of TRIO at the university (Student Support Services and ConnCAP). Her experience at SSS shaped how she viewed higher education, and the influence “BRIDGE” programs have on secondary school education and students. She has now made it her mission through her position at the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion to pay forward all the knowledge she has garnered from these programs to continue to uplift students from marginalized identities and underrepresented communities.
NASEM Report
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Dr. Karl Reid
Dr. Reid was born in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in Roosevelt, New York, a mostly working-class, African-American community on Long Island. The high value his parents placed on education, and his admission to a well-resourced, magnet high school, put him on a track to follow his older brother to MIT, where he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and was a Tau Beta Pi Scholar. While working at MIT as Director of Engineering Outreach Programs, Dr. Reid earned his Doctor of Education degree at Harvard University. His dissertation explored the interrelationship of race, identity and academic achievement for African American males in college. He is the author of “Working Smarter, Not Just Harder: Three Sensible Strategies for Succeeding in College…and Life.” Dr. Reid is also a founding member of the 50K Coalition, a national effort to produce 50,000 diverse engineering graduates annually by 2025.
Dr. Reid was appointed Senior Vice Provost and Chief Inclusion Officer at Northeastern University on April 1, 2021. He also holds the title of Professor of Practice in the Graduate School of Education in the College of Professional Studies. Prior to joining Northeastern, Dr. Reid served for seven years as the Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), marking his return to the organization that gave him his first major leadership experience 32 years earlier. A certified diversity professional, Dr. Reid has been a leading national advocate for diversity and inclusion, and increasing college access, opportunity and success for low-income and minority youth.
Dr. Reid sits on the National Council for Expanding American Innovation at the US Patent and Trademark Office; the Committee on Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women of Color in Technology at the National Academy of Engineering; the American Society for Civil Engineers Industrial Leaders Council and the Dean’s advisory cabinets for the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the University of Michigan College of Engineering. He holds memberships in the American Society for Engineering Education and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives.
Emily Vargas
Dr. Emily Vargas is a Program Officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in Washington, D.C. In this position, she is working to advance the mission of NASEM, which is to provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of the nation and society.
Prior to this position, she was a Research Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, funded by an NIH-supplement grant to research multi-level psychosocial assets and their association with cardiovascular health.
Dr. Vargas completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Michigan in 2019, and completed her Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the NIH funded-T32 research training program in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in 2021. Her research focused on the intersection of individual’s marginalized identities & psychosocial factors, and how they impact psychological and cardiovascular health. Her work aimed to promote individual empowerment and health equity.