The Robert “Bob” Moses Scholarship Has Launched

The Bob Moses Scholarship is a national scholarship opportunity designed to support a graduate student from an underrepresented group who is pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in mathematics education or a STEM discipline. The scholarship award is $15,000 and the application deadline is April 3, 2023.

The inaugural scholarship is named in honor of the late Bob Moses, a pioneering civil rights leader and educator who founded The Algebra Project, a national U.S. mathematics literacy program aimed at helping low-income students and students of color achieve the mathematical skills in high school that are a prerequisite for success in college and beyond. For more information on eligibility requirements and application instructions, please see the attached announcement.

JP Morgan PhD Fellowship

You are invited to apply for the JP Morgan PhD Fellowship; further information below and on this webpage, behind GIT log-in: https://grad.gatech.edu/jp-morgan-phd-fellowship. I’ve also initiated the creation a new sub-section of awards on the Student facing Fellowships & Funding page for Computing opportunities. 

Deadline:

  • Non-CoC students: Friday, March 17
  • CoC students: Friday, March 3; or as directed by your unit

Please direct all questions to Elizabeth Cherry at echerry30@gatech.edu.

Joe Bozeman: A Framework for Equity in Energy and Environmental Engineering

Check out the Daily Digest‘s write up about CEE’s Joe Bozeman!

 

Researchers create process to integrate systemic equity to allow for more consistent and inclusive modeling.

By: Jason Maderer (maderer@gatech.edu)
Monday, 16 May 2022

As diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to be among the nation’s most important focus areas, a Georgia Tech researcher has created a framework to help his peers utilize more equitable data in their energy and environmental engineering studies.

One of Joe Bozeman’s core research areas is America’s food consumption habits and how they affect climate change, specifically greenhouse gas emissions. The assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering looks at food intake across a number of groups, including socioeconomic status, race, and age. Using that data, he’s able to create models that better inform communities and assist policy makers.

However, the most consistent, thorough data he uses to develop those models are from 2005-2010. Five-year datasets before and after that timeframe aren’t standardized, as all sociodemographic groups are not included. This makes it difficult for Bozeman to draw comparisons that are inclusive of everyone across spatial scales and time periods.

Joe Bozeman

Joe Bozeman

“If we are not able to manage social and infrastructure dynamics within our country in an equitable way, not only will currently marginalized groups be negatively affected now, but so will marginalized groups of the future.”

-Joe Bozeman

It’s one reason why he and researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Colorado Denver have published a framework and 10-step process to help engineers, scientists, and community members standardize their data related to energy and environmental topics. Their goal is to integrate equity into these fields, a practice Bozeman and his colleagues call systemic equity. By doing so, they hope to create a system that all demographics of groups are included, including age groups, income levels, race, and ethnicity.

The framework and process are outlined in a new paper, published by the journal Environmental Engineering Science.

“This is to help stabilize our sociopolitical systems, as well as those within civil and environmental engineering,” said Bozeman, who also has a courtesy appointment in the School of Public Policy in Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. “If we are not able to manage social and infrastructure dynamics within our country in an equitable way, not only will currently marginalized groups be negatively affected now, but so will marginalized groups of the future.”

Destenie Nock

Destenie Nock, Carnegie Mellon

Systemic equity, the researchers say, requires the simultaneous and effective administration of three areas: resources, policy, and addressing the cultural needs of systematically marginalized groups. Their framework also provides three categories that represent what happens when equity is only partially met:

  • Ostensible equity: when resource and policy needs are met, but cultural needs are inadequate.
  • Aspirational equity: when policy and cultural needs are met, but resources are inadequate.
  • Exploitational equity: when resource and cultural needs are met, but policies are not.

“We wanted to provide common language and a shared understanding for when equity is ineffectively administered,” said Destenie Nock, an assistant professor of engineering and public policy and civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon. “Using consistent terms will allow researchers in our field to communicate with groups that include academia, practitioners, and community leaders.”

The group’s 10-step process for standardizing sociodemographic data practices is intended to address development, collection, and reporting norms. The team hopes the list will also facilitate systemic equity within energy and environmental life cycle assessment and decision-making.

The steps include identifying and confirming equity-focused energy and environmental professionals and collaborative transdisciplinary professionals, in addition to creating a preliminary, systemic equity checklist and criteria for sociodemographic data practices. A number of the steps are already in progress.

Erin Nobler

Erin Nobler, Univ. of Colorado Denver

What Comes Next

Now that the paper is published, the group wants to share the systemic equity framework and begin developing the checklist at conferences and within workgroups to spread the word and further define the processes.

While the energy and environmental fields lack such a process, it does exist elsewhere within research activities. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) has existed for more than a decade with the intent on improving how highly influential reviews of medical and health research are reported. PRISMA has grown from 27 checklist items in 2009 to 42 in 2020 and is endorsed by several top journals in the medical field.

This research team has similar goals.

“To be effective at each step requires committed and persistent stakeholders from various disciplines and geographic regions,” said co-author Erin Nobler, a Ph.D. student at the Univ. of Colorado Denver. “It also requires the kind of support that satisfies each equity concept and an alignment with the multistakeholder partnership provisions in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Another Step in the Process

For Bozeman, the paper is part of his career journey, which began after seeing the beating of Rodney King at a young age. After watching footage of the unarmed Black man being beaten by Los Angeles police officers, Bozeman’s early questions were less about why it was happening and more about which systems were in place that would allow such an incident to occur. Bozeman’s passion led him to engineering, grad school, and a focus on climate change. Then came another question: why is there very little research about energy burden and equity around energy and environmental access?

“We have so many tools — big data, machine learning, and life cycle assessment  —  that are not being used to help our society become more equitable, despite George Floyd, diversity statements, and calls for equity in grant proposals,” Bozeman said. “If we’re actually going to try and do this, let’s have a framework for equity in engineering.

“This isn’t just about helping certain groups, such as Black, brown, Latinx, or poor white communities,” Bozeman said. “America’s demographics are changing wildly, so who is minoritized and systemically marginalized today might not be the same in the future. This framework can help everyone, if we refine it over time.”

CITATION: Bozeman, et. al. “A Path Toward Systemic Equity in Life Cycle Assessment and Decision-Making: Standardizing Sociodemographic Data Practices.” Environmental Engineering Science, 6 April 2022. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2021.0375

The Endless Versatility of Washi: a talk with Nanci Jacobi about Japanese Paper

Washi combined

Virtual Talk: The endless versatility of Washi

Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Time: 7:30-8:30pm EST

Category: Lectures

Instructor: Nancy Jacobi

Speaker: Nancy Jacobi
Member Price: FREE
Non-Member Price: FREE
Registration Deadline: 

 

Program Description:

Join us for this virtual Lecture, Stitch, dye, sculpt, fly – the endless versatility of Washi,  with guest speaker Nanci Jacobi. Washi means Japanese paper – Wa = Japanese and shi = paper. Jacobi’s love of Washi and its history led her to establish the Japanese Paper Place, in Toronto Ontario. The Japanese Paper Place is a major distributor of washi. Jacobi has a vast knowledge of washi, and its use by Western artists. During her lecture she will be imparting her depth of knowledge about heritage and contemporary washi, as well as how artists use it today, including artist Cybèle Young. She will also share about the stunning decorative paper known as Chiyogami, its heritage and use by artists as well. Then there will be a show and tell section where Jacobi will shows examples of various types of washi and the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking will share Chiyogami sample books and washi artifacts from the collection. This program is geared towards adult audiences.

How to Register for this event:
Register through Eventbrite! For more information contact Anna Doll at Anna.Doll@rbi.gatech.edu or 404-894-7840.

A Reflection on Organizing Gender Equality: Reimagining our Future through Art and Technology Exhibition

exhibit

A Reflection on Organizing Gender Equality: Reimagining our Future through Art and Technology Exhibition

The exhibit is open Monday – Friday, 7:00am to 10:00pm, now through December 9th

The Kendeda Building

Free and open to the public. Read more about the exhibit here.

2022 Diversity Champion Award Nominations Now Open!!

This year’s Diversity Champion Awards will recognize campus community members who have actively worked to advance a culture of inclusion and belonging among communities of historically underrepresented backgrounds at Georgia Tech.

One faculty member, staff member, student, and campus unit who have advanced the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Georgia Tech will be recognized at the 2022 Diversity Symposium in September.

2022 Diversity Champion Awards recipients should have demonstrated one or more of the following within the past three (3) years:

  • Commitment to research and/or activities that engage and challenge racism and expand diversity, equity, and inclusion at Tech
  • Leadership in building a culture of inclusion and belonging among groups from historically underserved communities
  • Scholarship or work that advances a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence at Georgia Tech
  • Organized, conducted, and/or supported programs, events, and activities that promote an understanding of different cultures, and creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging at Tech

Nominations are due no later than Friday, July 16.

For eligibility criteria or more information about the award, visit diversity.gatech.edu/diversitychampionawards

Understanding Asian and Asian American Experiences and Perspectives An AAPI Heritage Month Town Hall

Understanding Asian and Asian American Experiences and PerspectivesAn AAPI Heritage Month Town Hall

Thursday, May 19, 202212 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.via Zoom

Join Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for its first annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month event.

Students, faculty, and staff will come together for a panel discussion about their experiences as members of the Asian and Asian American communities at Georgia Tech and explore ways that we all can contribute to a more inclusive and welcoming community.

Panelists will include:

Diana SunPh.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering,President of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA)

May Dongmei Wang, Ph.D.Professor and Distinguished Faculty FellowWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Prasad Dasi, Ph.D.Rozelle Vanda Wesley Professor, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies,Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Xiaoming Huo, Ph.D.A. Russell Chandler III ProfessorH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Moderator:Luoluo Hong, Ph.D. Vice President for Student Engagement and Well-Being

New Strategic Plan for DEI

New Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Provides Roadmap to a More Inclusive Georgia Tech

With the launch of its first ever strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Georgia Tech is carving a path towards a more inclusive campus community.

Apr 4, 2022 | Atlanta, GA

Georgia Tech recently launched its first Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that outlines the steps the Institute will take to position itself as a leader in inclusive excellence.

It will serve as a framework that guides Institute, college, and unit leadership in the work needed to become a more equitable and inclusive campus community for all students, faculty, and staff.

The plan is the culmination of a two-year effort carried out by the Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. Comprised of executive and senior leaders, the council is charged with monitoring the progress of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and is co-chaired by Archie W. Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Pearl Alexander, executive director of Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement. Through a collaborative effort, the council developed a plan that outlines five areas of impact, three goals, and 22 strategies that Georgia Tech will use to create a more inclusive campus community.

“Forty percent of the 2030 Institute strategic plan outcomes center on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Ervin said. “With such an emphasis on DEI efforts, creating a roadmap to guide our efforts is instrumental for success, and our success depends on the support and engagement of the entire Georgia Tech community.”

The DEI plan identifies 22 strategic actions, categorized into three areas of impact:

  • Creating a more equitable and inclusive community.
  • Recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.
  • Supporting innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching.

As part of the planning process, the council was able to revisit the definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion previously held by the Institute, and updated them to reflect current understandings. The council also created new definitions for Georgia Tech’s principles of community, highlighting a commitment to inclusive teaching, leadership, scholarship and research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

“We are excited and grateful to share this plan, where each and every one of us has a  role in making Georgia Tech a place where everyone can thrive, no matter who you are or where you come from,” Alexander said. “Ubuntu, a term that comes to mind as we unveil this plan, reminds us of all that our actions affect each other and society. We’ll be better and go farther together as we write this next chapter of who we will be.”

To view the plan in full, visit diversity.gatech.edu/deiplan.

Register for the DEI Town Hall on May 11th here: https://gatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DCJYVlHESQKJH_jC9MGwjA