{"id":26828,"date":"2023-06-15T12:24:59","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T16:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biology.mit.edu\/?page_id=26828"},"modified":"2024-09-11T09:53:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T13:53:27","slug":"update-on-mit-biology-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-efforts-2023","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/biology.mit.edu\/about\/diversity\/update-on-mit-biology-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-efforts-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on MIT Biology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
As a department committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the DEI Officer of the department in collaboration with our Department Head, Graduate Program officers, Outreach and Recruitment staff, the Education Office, and the DEI Council and Faculty DEI Committee<\/a> provide this update on the Biology strategic plan. We provide updates on current DEI projects, outreach and recruitment, and a view for the future.\u00a0 This work is made possible through the continued support and collaboration with the Institutional Community and Equity Office<\/a> and the DEI efforts of the School of Science Dean\u2019s Office. This is not all-encompassing of every DEI effort but seeks to provide an update and overview for those in the department. As always, if you have suggestions or would like to be more involved in formal or informal DEI efforts in the department, please reach out to Hallie Dowling-Francisco at halliedh@mit.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n For in-depth information on diversity data in Biology and at MIT, we encourage you to explore the Diversity Dashboard<\/a> from the Office of Institutional Research.<\/p>\n In Spring 2022, we published our strategic action plan on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. <\/a>\u00a0The following sections report on progress and updates to that plan. You will also find additional topics addressed here that were not explicitly included in the strategic plan but that have been added to address the evolving needs of the department. If you have questions, feel free to contact Hallie or the DEI Council representatives.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>A variety of updates were made to our previously set goals around training and education for the department:<\/p>\n Additional progress: <\/em><\/p>\n Improving department, graduate program, and lab climate remain a critical aspect of an educational and work experience that is inclusive and equitable. In alignment with the strategic plan, the departmental DEI Officer, with support from the Biology DEI Council and Faculty DEI Committee, has launched or continued a variety of initiatives focused on increasing equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n Progress on previously identified goals includes:<\/p>\n Additional activities:<\/p>\n We endeavor to increase transparency and trust across the department through continued and frequent communication and dialogue, through multiple channels. We have made a few advances in this strategic plan category.<\/p>\n Additional updates:<\/p>\n Dr. Mandana Sassanfar continues to lead the department\u2019s diversity recruiting and outreach activities, including the highly successful\u00a0Bernard S. and Sophie G. Gould MIT Summer Research Program (BSG-MSRP-Bio)<\/a>.\u00a0As of June 2021, approximately 98% of the participating students have graduated from college and around 74% have enrolled in graduate school or in an MD\/PhD program, including around\u00a031% who have enrolled at MIT. The success of this program is inspirational, earning it an\u00a0INSIGHT Into Diversity 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n LEAH Knox Scholars Program<\/a> (LKS):\u00a0After being taught remotely for the past two years, the 5-week LKS lab course was back on campus in 2022.\u00a0This program provides a\u00a0two-summer introduction to the research to Boston public high-school students, most of whom are from underrepresented groups in STEM. During their first-year summer, students are introduced to basic techniques in molecular biology and microbiology at MIT. In their second year, students are placed in research labs in Boston and Cambridge. In 2022, the biology department hosted three second-year scholars.<\/p>\n In 2023 the Faculty DEI Committee and the DEI Officer hosted the first Catalyst Symposium<\/a>, in collaboration with Building 68 and Koch and Whitehead Institutes.\u00a0 This symposium is part of a new effort to bring outstanding postdocs from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in science to engage with members of our community. Aimed specifically at postdocs pursuing academic careers, the two-day symposium provides a venue for participants to share their research, discuss exciting new directions, and make new professional connections. We welcomed eight Catalyst Fellows in May of 2023.\u00a0 We plan to repeat the symposium in future years, using feedback from this year\u2019s fellows to further enhance the experience. We also aim to provide panels on the faculty search process and junior faculty experience to post-docs in the Biology community, to support their professional growth.<\/p>\n Progress includes the following updates to previously identified goals:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a department committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the DEI Officer of the department in collaboration with our Department Head, Graduate Program officers, Outreach and Recruitment staff, the Education Office, and the DEI Council and Faculty DEI Committee provide this update on the Biology strategic plan. We provide updates on current DEI projects, outreach […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":148,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-internal-only.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26828","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpdate on the strategic plan <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Training and advancing education <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Equity and Inclusion <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Transparency and connection making\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Update on Outreach and Recruitment activities<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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