Recommendations and Activities:
A2
A3
A3
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A2
2024 Update
- Conducted a department-specific climate and demographic survey in April 2023, receiving responses from 70 students: i.e., 6% of potential respondents, 9.5% of whom identify as Black.
- Synthesized results in a public report, planning to repeat the survey in 2024.
- Developed a roadmap of EDI next steps, with actions centred on building community, promoting faculty diversity, and addressing incidents of harassment.
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2022 Update
- Planning to conduct a full demographic and climate survey for undergraduate students in the department.
A3
2024 Update
- Created a Science Leadership Equity Advancement Program award for Black and Indigenous students.
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2022 Update
- Created a new CPS Science Leadership Equity Advancement Program (LEAP) Scholars Award modeled after the NSERC and UTEA summer research programs, but reserved for Black or Indigenous students.
A3
- Created a new program, in collaboration with the Experiential Education Unit, to increase diversity among future leaders in STEM fields by identifying high-achieving Black Students, supporting them with a full scholarship, and creating an intensive mentor and cohort program to guide them on the pathway from high school to graduate school.
A3
2024 Update
- Collaborated with EEU, among others, to pilot UTM’s STEM scholars program for outstanding Black students in science, technology, and mathematics.
- Advised on plans to support the first cohort of STEM scholars over time – and to support more new Black students through the STEM excellence award going forward.
- Continued to support a youth mentorship program, as led by Drs. Mulu Geletu and Elvin De Araujo in CPS’s Gunning Group, to connect Black students with opportunities in life science research.
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2022 Update
- Supporting a Youth Mentorship Program—led by Drs. Mulu Geletu and Elvin De Araujo in CPS’s Gunning Group—to connect Black students with opportunities in life science research.
Other Efforts:
Eight-week reading and discussion group
- Organized an eight-week reading and discussion group—Unlearning Racism in CPS—to better understand the impacts of racism in science and to develop anti-racist guidelines for graduate student and laboratory conduct.
Bi-annual CPS cultural competency training
2024 Update
- Organized and hosted the next installment of our biannual CPS cultural competency training program, including an event dedicated to addressing anti-Black racism.
- Started plans to develop learning modules for CPS faculty, staff, and students to apply EDI principles in labs.
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2022 Update
- Organized biannual CPS cultural competency training to address topics including mental health, classroom inclusivity and accessibility, and anti-Black racism.
Teaching fellowship program
2024 Update
- Continued to run a teaching fellowship program that invites proposals focused on anti-racism and EDI.
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2022 Update
- Created a teaching fellowship program that invites proposals on equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.