Diversity

Faculty, staff and students celebrate diversity at the ME Fall Festival

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 15:17:27 +0000

Faculty, staff and students celebrate diversity at the ME Fall Festival Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/16/2023 - 09:17

Michael Lock Swingen

The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering hosted its third-annual ME Fall Festival on Oct. 12. The event, sponsored by the department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group, celebrates the diversity of cultures within the department.

ME faculty, staff and students gathered to share their own traditions, learn about their peers’ backgrounds and build community. The event also highlighted the holidays and observances that student groups and faculty recognize during the fall season.

Janet Tsai, associate teaching professor and chair of the DEI Working Group, explained the origins of the ME Fall Festival.

"The ME Fall Festival was inspired by the idea that there are lots of ways our students, staff and faculty mark the Fall season from Diwali and the Mid-Autumn Festival to Día de los Muertos and Halloween," Tsai said. "Timing the Fall Festival close to Indigenous People's Day also offers a chance to discuss ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ's Land Acknowledgment and reconcile our local history with our current campus. The ME DEI Working Group has sponsored the Fall Festival for three years now, and it has become a highlight of our Fall semester here in Mechanical Engineering."

“After the summer of 2020, a lot of members of our department felt like we should be doing more in the area of diversity and inclusion,” said Tsai. “It was just people who wanted to start talking more and really trying to think about how we can make our department more welcoming and hospitable to everybody.”

The event had a land acknowledgment poster placed in the courtyard where the event was held and included a statement from the Center of Native American and Indigenous Studies suggesting action to address continuing inequities.

“These are great conversations for us to be having to make sure that people don't just read the land acknowledgement and feel like they're done, but actually try to engage,” said Tsai.

Event attendees participated in activities and games, including a raffle with a chance to win prizes and a cricket station where you could practice batting, which was hosted by The American Association of Engineers of Indian Origin (AAEIO). There was also homemade salsa made by lecturer Carmen Pacheco-Borden’s company Carmen’s Salsa, as well as coffee made from beans from around the world and brewed by students in the Design of Coffee course.

The ME Fall Festival offered student affinity groups an opportunity to increase their visibility across the department. Here’s what students had to say about their experiences in these organizations:

Jerry Nguyen, The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE): “Our main goal is to build community with Asian scientists and engineers. But we also offer professional development opportunities. Students get to go to national conferences and meet other people from other chapters and employers from all over the world. We also invite employers to our club meetings to talk to students and do professional development.”

Angelina Miller, Women of Aeronautics & Astronautics (WoAA) : “The club was created in spring of 2019 and was basically designed to help marginalized genders in the aerospace community to find a place where they can help meet other people and bring more of a community to them so that they don't feel alone. And we also try to offer a bunch of professional and technical opportunities for them to grow.”

--Pradyumna Rao, The American Association of Engineers of Indian Origin (AAEIO): “When I arrived in the United States from India, I made some mistakes as an undergraduate that I felt were unnecessary. With a little bit of guidance, with a little bit of support, I felt like I could have made more out of my academic experience. Our organization's aim is quite simple. We want to make sure that our members, when they come here, they can make the most inside the classroom as well as outside.”

--Isaac Chavarria,The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE): “We’re trying to help Hispanics have a connection to the professional world through either older students, alumni or professors. It’s proven that having a community helps you do better in school. Being able to offer that to other Hispanics and being the person who guides this society is such a blessing.”

The ME Fall Festival, sponsored by the department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group, celebrates the diversity of cultures within the department.

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Q&A with Ahmed Ashmaig: NSBE chapter president and Ripple Award winner

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Q&A with Ahmed Ashmaig: NSBE chapter president and Ripple Award winner Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/29/2022 - 00:00

Ahmed Ashmaig (MechEngr'23), the president of ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), has received the university's Ripple Award. The award is given by the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ's Center for Inclusion and Social Change in collaboration with the Dennis Small Cultural Center.

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Video: Celebrating the strength of our community during Women's History Month

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Video: Celebrating the strength of our community during Women's History Month Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/09/2022 - 00:00

The future of engineering at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ is one of inclusivity, diversity, and resilience. Since our first female graduate in 1903, our women students and faculty have stood on the cutting edge of research and innovation. We celebrate our past excellence throughout Women's History Month while also striving to build on ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ's legacy and create an equitable future for all.

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Graduate students host high schoolers for engineering outreach event

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 19:12:12 +0000

Graduate students host high schoolers for engineering outreach event Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/25/2022 - 12:12

Rachel Leuthauser

110

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

ROBOTS BUILT

Learn more about CEME

Graduate students in mechanical engineering are aspiring to get younger generations excited about the field. The Committee for Equity in Mechanical Engineering (CEME) is accomplishing that goal by engaging with high schoolers in a manner that is similar to their own education – with hands-on learning.

On Tuesday, February 15, CEME invited 110 freshmen from Arrupe Jesuit High School to campus, where they built insect-inspired robots and toured the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL). It gave those high schoolers the chance to see what life is like as an engineering student.

"I think the best part is to connect with the students and show them that they too can pursue STEM," CEME member Rosa Morales said. "I love speaking Spanish with them, demonstrating that we are not very different from one another and showing that if I could do it, they could too. I also love to hear them say 'that was so easy' after they've completed the projects we put together! I feel like these projects show them that they really can do STEM."

Arrupe Jesuit serves economically disadvantaged students from Denver's inner-city neighborhoods. The school focuses on community partnerships to better overcome the challenges of servicing urban communities. CEME has stepped up be one of those valuable friendships.

CEME has been working with Arrupe Jesuit High School since summer 2021, when the group visited the school and built mouse trap race cars to demonstrate the fundamentals of engineering. The success of that event is what inspired the graduate students to plan the field trip to campus.

Since CEME knew they wanted ongoing interaction with the high schoolers, the visit was step one in a two-part project. On campus, the high schoolers built 30 insect-inspired robots with a focus on the hardware component of the devices. Step two involves CEME members going back to Arrupe Jesuit High School to teach the students about the software component. The graduate student volunteers will instruct the high schoolers on building basic code for the robots.

"Seeing them get excited about the simple stuff that I still geek out about is so fun," said Brennan Moeller, one of the graduate student volunteers.

CEME members and the graduate student volunteers hope this work impacts how the freshmen high schoolers envision their futures. Volunteer Brittany Nixon added that the best part of these events is "connecting with the kids, seeing them get excited about science and engineering, and encouraging them."

The Committee for Equity in Mechanical Engineering invited freshmen from Arrupe Jesuit High School to campus, where they built robots and toured the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory.

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ME Course Column: Design for Inclusion

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:09:49 +0000

ME Course Column: Design for Inclusion Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/25/2022 - 09:09

Rachel Leuthauser

The ME Course Column is a recurring publication about the unique classes and labs that mechanical engineers can take while at the University of Colorado Boulder. Follow the series to understand the core curriculum, discover elective course options and learn the broad applications of mechanical engineering skills.

Professor Janet Tsai

The racial reckoning in summer 2020 led to an awakening in our consciousness – a need for everyone to look inward and tackle our own unconscious biases. Professor Janet Tsai is asking students to question these preconceived notions when it comes to mechanical engineering as well.

In MCEN 4228/5228: Design for Inclusion, Professor Tsai encourages students to “consider alternate approaches to design, to question how equitable and inclusive technologies can be built within a society and culture that has no shortage of inherent biases and exclusive traditions.”

The course challenges mechanical engineers to recognize that despite the diverse world we live in, engineering can be biased. The first unit of the course is dedicated to analyzing those prejudices in the engineering field.

“I try to pull in historical angles to show that some designs were not always chosen because they were the best idea, but because it was the idea they went with,” Tsai said. “As a result, all of these other ideas have cascaded down, and it can be hard to envision something new.”

Tsai points to the transgender bathroom movement as an example. The gender binary has been rooted in society for centuries, which has made it difficult for some people to see other options.

“It’s so eye opening when you start to question these assumptions and realize it doesn’t actually have to be that way,” Tsai said. “As a designer, it’s really powerful to come up with alternatives. We realize some of these constraints were never actual constraints, they’re just defaults and biases.”

The second unit moves into thinking about the consequences of engineering designs that cater to certain people while excluding others. Students discuss groups that have been harmed by technology, such as people living through the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

Once students are comfortable talking about these issues, the course’s third unit is more outward looking. The class focuses on applying the responsibility of equitable design to their future careers and communicating these ideas with the public.

“If we do care about making a difference, talking to people about the ethics of these designs and considering deeply how do I make a better design for everybody, then how do we engage the public in these big topics?” Tsai said she asks students.

The course culminates with students presenting public-facing showcases to familiarize themselves with public engagement and outreach through action. Various mechanical engineering alumni and industry partners attend the showcase each spring.

Learn More

Design for Inclusion is open to juniors, seniors and graduate students in mechanical engineering.

Undergraduate Program Course Curriculum

Graduate Program Courses

Design for Inclusion is the first course Tsai has designed from scratch. She is considering developing an industry training program with the same topics, after various mechanical engineering alumni reached out about design ethics and societal impacts in the workplace.

Throughout the course, Tsai’s focus is on people – the people that engineers are designing technology for and the engineers themselves. Tsai regularly invites diverse speakers to present to the class and students are encouraged to share their own experiences in engineering, many expressing fears of not fitting the mold of a ‘traditional engineer.’

Tsai’s strength in developing Design for Inclusion is giving students the space to talk and be vulnerable with their peers.

“I’ve really tried to model that in the class,” Tsai said. “On the first day, I tell students that I wanted to quit engineering many times. We don’t always feel like we belong. Knowing they’re not alone is helpful. We forget that students just need to hear that sometimes.”

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DEI Working Group holds inaugural ME Fall Festival

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:08:31 +0000

DEI Working Group holds inaugural ME Fall Festival Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:08

Rachel Leuthauser

The Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Fall Festival highlights the holidays and observances that various groups recognize during the fall season. Students, faculty and staff joined to share their own traditions.

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Graduate students join forces to improve underrepresented student experiences

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 22:27:35 +0000

Graduate students join forces to improve underrepresented student experiences Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/05/2021 - 16:27

Rachel Leuthauser

Whether it is in a business, lab or classroom, conversations that recognize a lack of diversity are necessary in spaces where certain groups are underrepresented. It can be difficult to initiate that dialogue, especially if you do not see yourself in your peers.

This is a sentiment that various underrepresented individuals within STEM can share, which is why a group of graduate students in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering created a space where students from a variety of backgrounds can be seen and heard.

The Committee for Equity in Mechanical Engineering (CEME) was established in summer 2020 to improve the ME graduate student experience. The group works to support underserved students by providing a community where people can talk openly about ways to increase diversity in the department and in the STEM workforce.

CEME members have spent the past year building their organization with social events on campus, visiting K-12 schools to connect with the younger generation and hosting diverse speakers to hear their unique perspectives on engineering.

With the progress and success of those initiatives, the group is now putting out a call to action. CEME wants to expand its outreach in the 2021-22 academic year and needs help to do it. The only qualification – a willingness to be open.

A Necessary Dialogue

One of CEME’s goals is to cultivate understanding, and that starts with talking. The group of graduate students has created an environment where their peers can have a dialogue about what it means to be underrepresented individuals within STEM.

“We want to push that while we might not look like engineers, we are engineers,” CEME member and PhD student Vani Sundaram said. “We come from various backgrounds, whether it be traditional or nontraditional.”

CEME aims for the conversations to be open and nonjudgmental – the members celebrate culture and highlight their differences. The trusted relationships the students have built within the group and department allow them to work through disagreements, knowing that their opinion will be met with a respectful response.

“We are not trying to make anyone into a bogeyman or devil,” Trujillo said. “If someone has a religious belief that tells them gay marriage is wrong, they still have a place at CEME as long as they are willing to engage in meaningful and respectful conversation with those of us who support it.”

Their dialogue also focuses on improving recruitment and retention methods within the ME department. CEME members believe that you can only have a diverse department when you have an equitable department.

Equity starts by opening pathways for underrepresented students to join ME. CEME advocates for underserved students to have the same opportunities and same chance at being successful.

“We want people to remember that we exist, and we are all contributors to society and science,” said Jaylene Martinez, another CEME member and PhD student.

A Network of Support

The open dialogue CEME promotes has helped the group build a community where students can feel safe talking about their challenges.

Some of the members explained they have experienced feelings of isolation while pursuing their engineering degree. Others said they have been forced to sit through situations that make them uncomfortable. CEME provides a place where students’ feelings can be validated.

“When a peer says ‘I felt this microaggression,’ I can say that I have felt that too, I can relate,” said CEME member and PhD student Skyler Kern. “I can say it is an unfair situation and you are not crazy for recognizing it. Sometimes, getting that validation is all it takes to feel better. It helps knowing that the discrimination I felt is not in my own head – that it was an action done to me. I can move on a bit more than I could before, because I know there is nothing wrong with me for feeling that way.”

The members of CEME want their peers to know that they are not alone in their struggles and that having a network is crucial to underrepresented student success. The CEME network provides the encouragement students need to succeed academically and the support to care for their mental health.

“We wanted to create CEME so people like us can come to each other if they are having a bad day,” said Martinez. “If someone feels like they cannot be alone, CEME has built a community so that they never have to be.”

A Culture of Service

The broader strategy of CEME is to create a culture of service in the engineering field. As engineers continue to find solutions to humanity’s problems, CEME members want to amplify that humanity aspect.

Since CEME was founded, its members have advocated for those values in the ME department. They hope the culture of service will trickle down into classrooms and labs, where students can participate.

“Service is something that is particularly crucial for minority students when they are pursuing these degrees,” said Kern. “They feel much more fulfilled if they have that service component.”

Read more about the different service events that CEME hosts and participates in below.

The Committee for Equity in Mechanical Engineering wants to expand its outreach in the 2021-22 academic year and needs help to do it. The only qualification to join the team of graduate students is a willingness to be open.

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STEM Routes earns President's Diversity Award

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:09:54 +0000

STEM Routes earns President's Diversity Award Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/16/2021 - 13:09

The full-time graduate students of STEM Routes – a student organization founded in 2018 and run by traditionally low-income, under-represented and first-generation graduate students – provide invaluable mentorship to the next generation of first-generation and underrepresented graduate students in STEM.

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#ILookLikeAnEngineer

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 15:37:24 +0000

#ILookLikeAnEngineer Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/15/2017 - 09:37

What does a CU engineer look like? Let us show you!

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and entire College of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with the BOLD Center, has joined the #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign to showcase the diverse range of people who pursue engineering.

What does a CU engineer look like? Let us show you! The Department of Mechanical Engineering and entire College of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with the BOLD Center, has joined the #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign to showcase the diverse range of people who pursue engineering.

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