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Unit Contributions to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

Academic Years: 
2018-2019
Department: 
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Division: 
Natural Sciences
Academics
1. Faculty: 

The department currently carries out a number of activities to develop the skills and enhance the effectiveness of the departmental community and broaden participation. For example, each new faculty member is assigned at least one mentor to assist him or her in excelling in all areas of their professional development.
Several programs (COACh, Women in Science and Graduate Women in Science (GWS)) strive to ensure that women faculty and graduate students have a network of support and develop skills to excel in their careers.
The pool of top minority faculty candidates is small and intensely sought after nationally. The Eugene community is an excellent place to live, but despite its reputation for cultural awareness, the minority population is quite low. Prospective science faculty will rely on our reputation (and their familiarity with our program) and ability to provide resources and support for their research and teaching efforts. It is clearly important to be able to provide these resources and support, however, in order to lower barriers to broadened faculty recruiting it may also be critical to take steps to ensure that potential candidates are aware of the opportunities and inclusive nature of our program, either through personal experience or through that of their mentors. Given the success of our programs that bring potential graduate students to campus, we will explore guest programs for faculty and postdoctoral associates to bring potential candidates and/or their mentors onto our campus. Possibilities include short but targeted postdoctoral summer workshops in green chemistry or nanoscience, research exchange programs, and targeted conferences.
Another promising strategy that we have implemented is to conduct broader searches that are not restricted to a particular subdiscipline. Such broad searches maximize the pool of applicants and thereby maximize the chances that qualified members of underrepresented groups will apply. We will actively encourage such broad searches in the future as part of our overall diversity efforts and our desire to achieve a critical mass.
Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty, in cooperation with the UO Industrial Internship Program, have led the establishment of an OUS system-wide chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). The OUS chapter was recently certified, and the west regional meeting of NOBCChE was held on the UO campus Spring 2013.
Our recruiting office arranges faculty seminar trips to regional institutions for recruiting purposes. We continue to increase the number of institutions with large minority populations through the seminar program. We have found that developing on-going relationships with faculty at these institutions is a particularly effective strategy to enhance the quality and quantity of students that apply from these partner institutions.

2. Staff: 

Our staff provides a welcoming environment and they provide assistance to all individuals that come into our office. They are often our first contact with visitors and have regular contact with undergraduate and graduate students in our department.
We follow University guidelines that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our recruitment of staff and faculty. Our diverse faculty recruiting program includes disseminating information about our openings via sites that reach a diverse audience including COACh (an organization working to increase the number and career success of women scientists and engineers), Academic Jobs Online, Diverse Jobs, IOTA Sigma Pi (National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry), Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), American Society for Cell Biology, and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) .
Our staff fully supports all of our internal and external outreach programs that support diversity and assure inclusion (see other sections). Our staff assists with communications, room reservations and provide access to a variety of resources that are used to support these programs.
The department encourages and funds opportunities for our staff to participate in specialized training related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

3. Graduate Programs: 

Recruiting
Proactive communications: We reach out to a variety of groups (e.g., current McNair scholars and all students that take the GRE) to provide them with information about our program and invite them to apply. We also let them know that we can waive the application fee.
The National Science Foundation sponsors a program called REU _ Research Experience for Undergraduates and 60% of the students that participate in this program are minority students. At the end of each session, our graduate recruiting coordinator participates in a luncheon to showcase our graduate program and then continues the conversation with students via email.
When students start an application to our program, our graduate recruiting coordinator collects additional information about the student using Internet searches. She tracks awards, special projects, and interests. Personal emails are sent to all students that start an application.
If students answer one of the ethnicity questions on the UO application, we follow-up with an email and offer them an application fee waiver.
Once a student is identified as a potential under represented minority, they receive special attention throughout the admission process.
Our faculty focus on establishing relationships with faculty research advisors who work with under represented minority students that have applied to our program in the past. This peer-to-peer outreach effort is designed to continue to showcase our institution and program and explore how we can best meet the needs of all students.
To build a critical mass within our graduate student population, we recruited a full-time graduate student recruiting coordinator and provide that office with a budget of ~ $100K/year to work year around to recruit a diverse population of top graduate students. Although we emphasize recruitment of women and minority students in this effort, part of our plan will be to conduct in-depth evaluation of those efforts, to determine how to enhance our ability to recruit these groups. We currently bring all graduate students to campus on a single recruiting weekend which makes it possible for students to observe the diversity of the potential incoming class as well as that of the existing community.
Our recruiting office arranges faculty seminar trips to regional institutions for recruiting purposes. We continue to increase the number of institutions with large minority populations through the seminar program. We have found that developing on-going relationships with faculty at these institutions is a particularly effective strategy to enhance the quality and quantity of students that apply from these partner institutions.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry continues to work to improve the fraction of minority graduate students through recruitment efforts. For the last three recruiting seasons, we have targeted minority applicants (from both underrepresented and socio-economically disadvantaged groups) by seeking and being awarded Promising Scholars Awards from the UO Graduate School, a source of recruiting revenue for minorities that Chemistry and Biochemistry had previously failed to utilize.
Spring 2010 _ six awards, three joined program Fall 2010, two still here
Spring 2011 _ three awards, one joined program Fall 2011, still here
Spring 2012 _ four awards so far, too soon to know outcome
Building Community
We invite members of our local chapters of Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), American Society for Cell Biology, National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and UO Women in Graduate Sciences (WGS) to participate in our recruiting events.
Graduate students and faculty participate in a variety of outreach efforts designed to increase the diversity of our undergraduate population. These efforts include the Summer Academy to Inspire Learning (SAIL).

4. Undergraduate Programs: 

We utilize a divers array of communication platforms to make sure that all our students are informed about on and off campus opportunities to prepare for a career in the sciences. Our platforms include - in class announcements by faculty, a department webpage, a specific website for undergraduate majors, email announcements, department sponsored blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and twitter feed.
We also provide chemistry demonstration shows, both on and off campus, that support programs involved in recruiting diverse students to the UO, and provide department tours to families and guests.
Our faculty participate in programs such as the UO Science Literacy program which assists faculty in the development of curricula that are accessible to all students.
Our faculty and graduate students serve as mentors for students groups aimed at increasing diversity and assuring equity and inclusion. The University of Oregon has Student Chapters of NOBCChE (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers) and SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) two national organization that are dedicated to fostering the success of minorities in STEM fields. These student organizations host and participate in career development workshops; connect students with professionals; and hope to expand to include tutoring sessions as well as science outreach.
Our faculty recruit and support undergraduates in the University's McNair Scholars Program, the MSI REU program, and the SPUR program. Each of these programs supports research experiences for students from underrepresented groups.
Chemistry and Biochemistry has an excellent record of working with the admissions office and with developing out-reach programs to the high schools and community colleges in Oregon. This includes participating in many admissions office recruitment efforts (e.g., Duck Days) including those specifically targeted at minorities, developing summer courses for high school teachers, developing enrichment events for high school teachers (e.g., the visitation of local high school science teachers arranged by Julie Haack and Dean Livelybrooks), and applying for and being awarded large block grants such as NSF GK-12 program. Chemistry and Biochemistry will continue these efforts and looks for additional opportunities to help with minority recruitment efforts for undergraduate candidates. One of these is the recently NSF-funded "Scholarships for Oregon Scientists" program for incoming and transfer chemistry and physics majors.

5. Outreach and Partnerships: 

Diversity has long been recognized as one of the keys to the UO Chemistry and Biochemistry Department's research and education excellence. Accordingly, the department has taken steps to broaden participation that have now been emulated by other units on campus.
Outreach programs _ our GK-12 has created a strong bond between the UO and Oregon school districts, particularly with those with more diverse student populations.
On-campus programs _ we pioneered one-week science experiences for freshmen and sophomores who, due to family or other constraints, can't leave home long enough to attend an REU program.
The small number of both faculty and Ph.D. recipients in the natural sciences who belong to groups of underrepresented minorities points to a structural problem that needs to be addressed much earlier than at the stage of hiring faculty. In recognition of this, the Department, in collaboration with the Materials Science Institute and the Physics Department have implemented a number of programs to encourage students, particularly underrepresented students, to pursue science educations. Examples of these activities are listed below:
The UO GK12 Science Outreach Program employed Chemistry and Biochemistry and Physics graduate students as resources for teaching hands-on science and mathematics in elementary and middle schools in Lane, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. Initially funded through NSF, the program has been successfully transitioned to continuing funding provided by the Engineering Technology in Industry Council, an advisory group to the Governor of Oregon, in recognition of the importance of the program for science education in our state. Several of our partner schools have significant populations of students who speak English as a second language or are minority students (Madras Elementary: 27.5 % ESL; 50.9 % minority; Danebo Elementary: 11.8% ESL; 36.1% minority; Vern Patrick Elementary: 7.6% ESL; 22.9% minority). We have discovered that bringing inquiry-based science into the classroom reaches across the language barriers in a way that textbooks cannot. Hands-on activities engage kids in questioning, testing and learning in an experience that moves beyond a verbal or written presentation of facts.
Science Open House. The UO Chemistry and Biochemistry and Physics departments conduct an annual Science Open House targeted at high school students all over the State of Oregon. Feedback received from students and teachers alike shows that this is a very popular and successful event that opens many students' eyes to the opportunities a career in the sciences can offer. Due to its broad scope, this event is guaranteed to reach a proportion of minority students equal to their representation in the general population.
Summer Experiences _ ChipCamp, PolyCamp, RockCamp are intensive summer research experiences that introduce freshmen and sophomores to exciting applications of basic science. The all-expenses paid, week-long format is an attractive first off-campus experience, short enough that it is not threatening, but long enough to provide an excellent educational experience. Significant time is spent discussing career opportunities and the benefits of an advanced degree. During the last five years, underrepresented minority enrollments have been as high as 25% and women typically outnumber men in the program.

6. Other: 

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has developed plans to enhance and accelerate our efforts to broaden participation based upon three key recommendations of the campus-wide diversity plan:
Developing a culturally responsive community
Building a critical mass
Expanding and filling the pipeline
The atmosphere within the department seems to be one that is very positive toward various cultural and ethnic groups, and there is substantial interest in improving diverse representations within the department. Reasons for this interest include broadening opportunities for recruiting talented students and enhanced cultural exposure for our undergraduate and graduate population, as well as working with our corporate partners to enhance diversity within their workplaces (several companies are providing scholarships or directly assisting in recruiting these underrepresented groups into our program).

Staff
1. University Service: 

All Chemistry and Biochemistry OAs and staff may serve on UO committee(s), including those related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Reasonable release time from OA and staff positions is granted for this service.

2. Departmental Contributions: 

We follow University guidelines that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our recruitment of staff and faculty. Our diverse faculty recruiting program includes disseminating information about our openings via sites that reach a diverse audience including COACh (an organization working to increase the number and career success of women scientists and engineers), Academic Jobs Online, Diverse Jobs, IOTA Sigma Pi (National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry), Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), American Society for Cell Biology, and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) .

3. Community Service and Outreach: 

Our staff fully supports all of our internal and external outreach programs that support diversity and assure inclusion (see other sections). Our staff assists with communications, room reservations and provide access to a variety of resources that are used to support these programs.

4. Professional Development and Training: 
The department encourages and funds opportunities for our staff to participate in specialized training related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
5. Other: 

Our staff provides a welcoming environment and they provide assistance to all individuals that come into our office. They are often our first contact with visitors and have regular contact with undergraduate and graduate students in our department.