Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity
Commitment to Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity
My commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity stems from my experience as a woman in aerospace engineering and the first in my family to earn a Ph.D.
During my academic journey, people often doubted I would succeed as a woman engineer or were surprised by my achievements "to be a woman." These reactions reflect the stereotype that women are diligent and hardworking but lack the brilliance to excel in engineering.
My experience has shown me that the lack of diversity in aerospace engineering is a major challenge facing groups that are currently underrepresented in our field. This is often the consequence of a lack of equity and inclusion because people from these groups are left without guidance and resources to build their careers compared with more privileged peers. I am committed to changing this by helping students from all backgrounds succeed, especially those affected by marginalization.
As a result of my interest in inclusion, equity, and diversity, I became aware of resources to help marginalized groups thrive in academia and increase awareness of these issues in our community. I have collected them here to share with students and colleagues and will add more as I continue educating myself on these topics.
Academic Career Development Opportunities for Historically Marginalized Groups
Below is a list of opportunities that aims at increasing the representation of people from historically marginalized groups among the faculty ranks:
Future Leaders in Aerospace (previously Women in Aerospace Symposium)
Some of these opportunities are restricted to U.S. persons (e.g., NextProf Nexus) or a specific institution (e.g., NextProf Engineering).
Self-Development and Community Building Resources
National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development
This is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community for faculty members, postdocs, and students.
New PI Slack
This is an informal peer mentoring group for tenure-track assistant professors.
This is an informal peer mentoring group for postdocs who want to stay in academia.
International Scholars in the U.S.
This is a Slack group for international researchers at U.S. institutions (not only academia).
Readings and Talks
Radhika Nagpal—Professor of Computer Science at Harvard—shares how she survived the tenure-track experience by considering it a "seven-year postdoc." A must-read for anybody considering an academic career, especially if a member of a historically marginalized group.
How to Use Your V.O.I.C.E to Accomplish Your Goals
A TED talk by U-M Aerospace alumna Sydney Hamilton (@SeeSydSoar) about her approach to pursuing opportunities and making decisions without being stopped by the fear of failure. A must-listen for all (especially women in STEM).
A TED talk by Prof. Christopher Hernandez about seeking to innovate as a member of a historically marginalized group in STEM. A must-listen for any scientist/engineer from an underrepresented background, as well as from those from privileged backgrounds.
This is an informative guide about being an ally.
Expectations of Brilliance Underlie Gender Distributions across Academic Disciplines
This article presents the theory that women are underrepresented in fields where scholars believe brilliance is necessary for success because women are stereotyped as not having this quality. The paper suggests that fields that want to increase their diversity should highlight the importance of sustained effort over innate talent.
Productivity, Prominence, and the Effects of Academic Environment
This article presents data showing that the productivity of early-career faculty is determined by where they work rather than where they are trained, that is, faculty trained at institutions of different prestige have similar productivity when hired at a particular institution as a result of work environments that facilitate future success.