Resiliency to Empowerment: the Asian Amercan Journey

Please see the attached flyer for the event Resiliency to Empowerment: The Asian American Journey.

About this event

Asian Americans have demonstrated resiliency in the face of racism, violence, and targeted attacks. How do we move from resilience to empowering ourselves to improve the lives of Americans? Please join our esteemed panelists listed below for an informative discussion moderated by Georgia Tech’s Nazia Zakir (DEI Fellow), Hyen Sung, and Ajay Patel.

Event details

Date: April 12^th, 2022

Time: 5:30-7:30 pm

Location: Auditorium, Kendeda Building

Snacks and refreshments will be provided! To attend, please register here:

https://tinyurl.com/Resiliency-to-Empowerment

Ukraine Relief Program

Relief Fund Created for Students from Ukraine

In addition to supporting current students, the resources generated will support displaced scholars and welcome them to join the Georgia Tech community.

Ukrainian flag

Mar 21, 2022 — Atlanta, GA

The war in Ukraine is having devastating effects on the nation, its people, and its economy. Many of these effects will be long-lasting regardless of the war’s length or outcome. Similarly, students from neighboring countries, including Russia, Moldova, Estonia, Romania, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and others in the region, are facing economic hardship as their countries are stressed by millions of refugees and the threat of additional uncertainties to their independence and stability.

Many students and faculty at Ukrainian universities are unable to continue their studies or their work. As part of its mission to improve the human condition, Georgia Tech would like to host a number of students to complete their degrees as well as faculty in need of a temporary university home.

The Office of Development is leading a fundraising initiative to support the approximately 80 current Georgia Tech students from Ukraine and neighboring countries. While these students will be the top priority, we also want to generate resources to support displaced scholars and welcome them to join the Tech community.

We estimate an urgent need of between $3 and $4 million in current, expendable funds, which will be administered through the Office of International Education. After four years, any funds not used for the purpose described will be allocated to a fund to support the ongoing emergency needs of international students.

To donate to the Ukraine Student and Faculty Relief Fund, click here.

For more information email Marta Garcia at marta.garcia@gatech.edu.

Joyful Ramadan!

A joyful Ramadan wish to our Muslim friends.

Ramadan is coming!

This flyer from the Sooke Teacher’s Association Reads:

Ramadan 2022 Is Coming!!

What school faculty needs to know:

Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting. Practicing Muslim students will be fasting from dawn until dusk (approx 6:00am to 8:00pm)

Fasting means NO FOOD and NO WATER.

Ramadan celebration often involves prayers late into the night.

It is not unusual to be up past midnight for prayers and then get up around 5am to eat before dawn and pray.

Ramadan 2022 will last approximately from April 2-May 2. Ramadan is scheduled on the lunar calendar so it moves dates each year.

Muslim students may be timre, hungry, and dehydrated in your classes-especially if they are with you late in the afternoon.

Leading Women @ Tech New Tools for Leadership in A New World

Leading Women@Tech | Georgia Tech Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are very excited to support your career development this spring by offering the following Group Coaching sessions in April and May with one of our executive coaches and facilitators, Michelle Goss.

New Tools for Leadership in a New World with Michelle Goss

A fundamental understanding of the existence of internal saboteurs is an essential step in achieving greater self-awareness. Diving deeper into these saboteurs’ operating strategies calls for courage and boldness that can yield significant results in personal authority, agency, and freedom. As a result, life and work become more fun, fulfilling, creative, and productive. Leaders who are skilled at navigating this territory are more equipped to transcend the traps of negativity, complaint, resignation, blame, manipulation, self-pity, struggle, and hostile inner narrative. Doing so offers the ability to courageously lead others into a new paradigm.

This program is composed of two virtual group sessions:

One Person, Many Voices | Wednesday, April 13, 2022 – 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

The Multi-Dimensional Self — Understanding the healthy multi-dimensional nature of being human and how the saboteur came to be.

The Saboteur’s Worldview — Control or Be Controlled, Not Good Enough, Try Harder, Constant Comparison, and other greatest hits.

Imprisoning Tactics & Breaking Free | Monday, May 2, 2022 – 10 a.m–1 p.m.

• Counterfeit Emotions, Collusion, and the 7-Layer Shield – Shame, Guilt, Unworthiness/Undeserving, Addictions, Self-Sabotage, Self-punishment, & Refusal/Rejection of Love, Compassion, & Kindness

• Reclaiming Authority / Reclaiming Power — the Four-step process for changing anything, Antidotes to Saboteur Agendas, Responding to a Compelling Future

The full group sessions will include content presentation, interactive discussion, breakout group exercises, reflection, and sharing. Additionally, you will have the opportunity and support to identify a transformational takeaway, or one important mindset shift or new action that sets significant change in motion. Each session will be three hours in duration (including a break).

Individual Coaching Sessions (Both Group Coaching Sessions are a Prerequisite)

To further your learning and foster transformative growth, we are pleased to offer the opportunity to schedule individual 45-minute coaching sessions with Michelle Goss following completion of both group coaching sessions. These one-on-one sessions will be offered at the negotiated rate of $400 per 45-minute session, which must be covered by you and your departments with payments made internally to the Leading Women@Tech program.

More information on individual coaching options will be communicated to those who attend the group coaching sessions.

If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Amanda Jomaa at amanda.jomaa@gatech.edu

Seminar Announcement — DEI in CEE — Scott Brandenberg, UCLA

Seminar Announcement – DEI in CEE – Scott Brandenberg

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiatives at Public Universities

Scott J. Brandenberg, Ph.D.
Professor UCLA
March 30 – 5:00pm EST

https://gatech.zoom.us/j/98437378041?pwd=bk1oaE0wTXB2azNIRm01Mkc3cHlodz09

ABSTRACT

This presentation will discuss equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) training initiatives, including findings of what types of training has worked well, and what has not worked so well. Universities are at the forefront of EDI training, and public Universities in particular face challenges balancing the goals to diversify the student body, faculty, and staff with affirmative action laws (which vary State-to-State). The Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA has implemented an EDI initiative titled Awareness to Action that is an interactive multimedia two-part workshop. The first workshop focuses on gender and the second on race, and covers topics such as implicit bias, in-group/out-group dynamics, and engineering impacts arising from lack of diversity. The program has been delivered to about 400 students, and preliminary post-workshop assessment data indicates that the program has resulted in several positive outcomes with respect to students’ behaviors.

BIOGRAPHY

CEED Puts Down New Roots

The Center for Engineering Education and Diversity moves to a new, permanent location after 17 years of assisting students.

Zoe Elledge

Friday, 11 March 2022

Have you eaten today?

This is one of the first questions students are asked when they enter the College of Engineering’s Center for Engineering Education and Diversity’s (CEED), located in the Old Rich Research Building next to the Georgia Tech Library. Soft lighting and relaxing music create a comfortable atmosphere for students to visit and talk with one of the office’s many staff members and mentors.

Each year the center works with approximately 4,000 students, helping them with their academic goals and financial needs through a wide variety of programs. However, CEED also focuses on the health and well-being of individual students, asking all who enter their offices if they’ve eaten, how much sleep they’re getting, and if they need a mentor to talk to.

Now, after nearly two full decades, CEED has created a new, permanent space for its students to study, relax, chat, or simply call home.

The Space

CEED was established in 2004. In 2007, it evolved into two-person office with Felicia Benton-Johnson and Jacquline Cox in the College of Engineering’s Tech Tower. Since then, it has bounced around campus, in and out of six temporary spaces.

This past October, CEED finally moved into its new home in the Old Rich building. The space was created specifically for the program, allowing the center to better serve its students and act as a home to the many programs it directs. CEED staff members were heavily involved in the design process, from picking the colors to planning the flow of the rooms and placement of the furniture.

students visiting and working in the new CEED space

“Our goal for this new space is the same as it’s always been in our previous locations: we want to make the center feel like a student’s home away from home where they can get the support they need during their academic journey,” said Benton-Johnson, CEED’s director and an assistant dean in the College.

The space boasts several new amenities and integrates room concepts that existed in previous CEED offices. This includes the “Huddle Room,” a specialized breakout room where groups of students can work on projects while alumni working remotely can set up their workspaces.

CEED’s front desk and waiting room open into a spacious study area, with tables for group work and separate cubicles for more focused, solo studying. Additionally, each of the five staff members has their own office where students can chat with them about anything, whether it be a serious or lighthearted topic.

Felicia Benton-Johnson talking with CEED staff and students

CEED’s Felicia Benton-Johnson and Jackie Strickland talk with guests during the CEED Open House.

“There’s something to be said about walking into a room and seeing people who look and sound like you,” said Valentina De La Fé, CEED’s assistant director of undergraduate initiatives. “There are many study spaces around campus, some probably better than ours. But we want our study rooms to feel uniquely welcoming to underrepresented student groups, anyone looking for a mentor, or even just someone to have a conversation with.”

Naomi-Eliana Edouard

In addition to the study areas, the new space has a conference room where CEED can host events for some of their many programs. Students can also use the space for important calls, including job or internship interviews.

For Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering student Naomi-Eliana Edouard, CEED has been a perennial gathering spot since transferring to Tech in 2020. She usually stops by to study, socialize, sleep, or utilize the mentorship of the CEED staff.

“CEED is always one of the most comforting places to visit, and everyone in the office contributes to the welcoming atmosphere,” said Edouard, who will graduate this semester. “They have provided me with many diverse perspectives and introduced me to other minority engineers, helping me to grow my network.”

The Programs

Since its creation in 2004, CEED has expanded to house eight programs that support undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, and Sciences. The programs include the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), and the GEM Fellowship, a national fellowship that supports underrepresented minority students pursuing their masters or a Ph.D. in engineering or physical sciences and technology.

“Across all programs, our goal is to help expand access for students so they can thrive during their time at Tech,” said Benton-Johnson, who also directs Tech’s engineering transfer partnership programs.

CEED partners with Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University, among others, for the Dual Degree Engineering Program, and other University System of Georgia schools for the Regents’ Engineering Pathway Program. These transfer opportunities enable students to diversify their academic journey by experiencing two unique study for two years in a specific Dual Degree institution and then transfer to Tech to complete an engineering degree. CEED supports students before and during their matriculation at the Institute.

In addition to their institutional programs, CEED also hosts the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, Grad REACH mentoring program, and the Retaining Inspirational Students in Technology and Engineering (RISE) Scholarship, which supports more than 200 students.

One of CEED’s largest undergraduate programs is the tiered Peer 2 Peer Mentoring. The program pairs groups of undergraduate students with upper-level undergraduate student aligned with their major and a graduate student.

“Our mentoring approach isn’t just top down, but instead creates a symbiotic relationship between students,” said De La Fé, director of the program. “You need those groups of people coming together and sharing knowledge, because Tech isn’t a place you can get through alone.”

Valentina De La Fé meets with a student.

In addition to directing the Peer 2 Peer Program, De La Fé also manages the College’s undergraduate recruitment efforts, partnering with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to create and host Engineering Information Sessions and all large scale recruitment events such as Gold Carpet Day.

“Across all programs, our goal is to help expand access for students so they can thrive during their time at Tech.”

Felicia Benton-Johnson

Nicholas Hines

Nicholas Hines, a graduate research assistant in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering’s Graham Lab, credits CEED’s programs with inspiring him to pursue a career in academia.

“Through my involvement in the dual degree partnership with Morehouse, LSAMP, RISE, GEM Fellowship, and GRAD Reach, CEED has become my community at Georgia Tech,” said Hines. “My goal as an educator is to be able to impact the lives of students the same way CEED has impacted mine.”

The Students, Past and Present

At CEED, everything begins and ends with the students.

“We don’t care who you are or where you come from. If you come in these doors, you’re going to receive love, support, guidance, and whatever you need to succeed,” said Benton-Johnson.

Benton-Johnson says 97% of the students who have participated in CEED programming have gone on to finish their Tech degrees. CEED’s goals, however, are deeper than academics. They also focus on developing self-confidence.

CEED students talking in the room's lounge area

“Working with students and seeing the potential they have is the most important part of my job,” said De La Fé. “When you’re at Tech and surrounded by excellence, sometimes you fail to see it within yourself. It’s my job to help students reflect on their academic journey and realize just how far they’ve come and how far they can go.”

Celine Irvene received three degrees from Tech. She participated in CEED from the time she was a freshman to the day she walked across the stage to receive her Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 2021. Now she’s a research software development engineer at Microsoft.

“CEED didn’t just impact my college experience – they forged it,” Irvene said. “Without their support, action, and encouragement, I would have flunked out the first semester of my first year. Many of my fellow Black classmates have similar experiences with CEED.”

Maya Carrasquillo received her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Tech in 2015 before going on to pursue her master’s and Ph.D. at the University of South Florida. She’s now an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Tech, she participated in multiple CEED programs, including LSAMP, SURE, and Peer 2 Peer mentoring.

“As a graduate student, CEED helped me to navigate all the new educational spaces in which I found myself with the same experience and credentials as my peers,” said Carrasquillo. “I credit much of my success to the opportunities and experiences I had through CEED’s programs.”

As CEED continues to grow and expand its accessibility to students, it will be able to utilize its new space in the Old Rich Building to help diverse populations of students feel at home at Tech.

Celine Irvene

Keynote Speaker of the GoSTEM’s Latino College and STEM Fair!

Announcing our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Cecilia Aragon!

Join us virtually this Saturday, March 19th at 9 A.M. at GoSTEM’s 10th Annual Latino College and STEM Fair as we welcome Dr. Cecilia Aragon as our keynote speaker.

Dr. Cecilia Aragon is an award-winning author, airshow pilot, and the first Latina to earn the rank of Full Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. She has worked with Nobel Prize winners, taught astronauts to fly, and is passionate about helping others face their own fears and challenges to achieve their goals. Her innovative research led President Obama to call her “one of the top scientists and engineers in the United States”.

This event is virtual, bilingual, and free!

¡Anunciando a nuestra oradora magistral, la Dra. Cecilia Aragon!

Únase a nosotros virtualmente este sábado 19 de marzo a las 9 A.M. en la 10a Feria Anual Latina Universitaria y de STEM del programa GoSTEM para darle la bienvenida a nuestra oradora magistral, la Dra. Cecilia Aragon.

La Dra. Cecilia Aragon es una autora reconocida, piloto de espectáculos aéreos y la primera latina en obtener la posición de Profesora Titular en la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Washington. Ella ha trabajado con ganadores del Premio Nobel, ha enseñado a astronautas a volar, y le apasiona ayudar a otros a enfrentar sus propios miedos y desafíos para lograr sus objetivos. Su investigación innovadora llevó al Presidente Obama a llamarla “una de las mejores científicas e ingenieras de los Estados Unidos”.¡Este evento es virtual, bilingüe y gratuito!

Regístrate Aquí

QPR Training

QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend these trainings to learn about the warning signs of suicide and how to help a person in distress. Suicide is preventable and we all can play a role in offering help and support. To register to attend, please go to: https://endsuicide.gatech.edu/content/qpr-training-0

Women’s Resource Center Programs

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are sharing some of the programs available through the Women’s Resource Center.

Academic Programs

ADVANCE

The ADVANCE Program, funded by a multi-million dollar grant from the NSF, is focused on increasing the participation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce through the increased representation and advancement of women in academic scientific and engineering careers. NSF seeks to support new approaches to improving the climate for women in U.S. academic institutions and to facilitate women’s advancement to the highest ranks of academic leadership. The ADVANCE Program at Georgia Tech focuses on faculty issues such as tenure and promotion, family-friendly policies and institutional transformation. For more information from NSF about the ADVANCE Program, please go to http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/advance/start.htm.

Women in ECE, Contact: Leyla Conrad (leyla.conrad@ece.gatech.edu) or Kristen Anderson (kristen.anderson@ece.gatech.edu)

Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (WECE) strives to create, encourage, and support academic, professional, and social opportunities for women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Georgia Tech as well as to expose pre-college students to ECE in order to generate interest in the discipline.

Society of Women Engineers, gtswesecretary@gmail.com

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an organization primarily devoted to education. SWE’s mission statement reminds members and officers to increase community and campus awareness of the opportunities in science and engineering, especially for young women.

In order to reach the community, SWE relies on outreach programs including two for high school students, 9th/10th Grade and 11th/12th Grade Outreach, and two for younger children, the Middle School Outreach and Girl Scouts. Campus awareness is achieved with informative weekly meetings open to all and involvement with such campus events as Engineers Week, the Women’s Leadership Conference and Women’s Awareness Month. For more information visit swe.gtorg.gatech.edu.

Women @ CC, Contact: Maureen Biggers / Mary Jean Harrold

Women@College of Computing is a community of women students and faculty in the College of Computing. They strive to advance women in the fields of computing by creating a supportive culture that promotes academic, professional and personal growth and by providing student support, community involvement, and social activities that build confidence and promote leadership. A larger goal is to enhance the overall understanding in the College and community of gender issues in the field of computing and to help provide leadership and effective policies to advance the field for all members of the computing community.

Women in Engineering, Contact: Dr. Christine Valle

Founded in 1994, the Women of Engineering (WIE) Program strives to recruit and retain top women students by providing the best learning experience and dynamic environment for professional growth. WIE also tries to ensure that all citizens – women and men alike – can enter, succeed, and progress in engineering.

WIE provides a variety of programs to reach these goals, including the M&M Mentoring Program, MentorNet, and the Excellence Awards Banquet. M&M Mentoring matches students into pairs (freshmen with juniors and sophomores with seniors) and teams according to major. Teams then participate in activities organized by WIE, which are social and informative and focused on topics pertinent to each major. In addition, WIE participates in the national MentorNet, which pairs women studying engineering and related sciences with professionals in the industry for a year-long, stuctured mentoring relationship conducted via e-mail. WIE also celebrates the successes and achievements of female engineering students with the annual Excellence Awards Banquet. In addition to their academic achievements, these students have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities on and off campus.

For more information, visit www.coe.gatech.edu.

Women, Science & Technology (WST) Programs, Contact: Dr. Carol Colatrella / Dr. Mary Fox / Dr. Mary Lynn Realff

The Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology (WST Center) brings together faculty and students, linking issues in the study of science and technology with those of the gender, culture and society in research and programmatic initiatives. Supported by the Office of the Provost, the interdisciplinary WST Center is cooperative in partnerships with students and collaborative across Georgia Tech colleges and Atlanta-area colleges and universities.

The WST Center and the WST Learning Community events are open to all on campus. For information about WST programs, see www.wst.gatech.edu, or contact Dr. Mary Frank Fox , Dr. Carol Colatrella, or Dr. Mary Lynn Realff.

Spring 2022 Tapping Circles

SPRING 2022 Stress Bust Tapping Circle Schedule

Here at GT, Tapping opportunities are offered to provide a rather quick, easy and safe way for try this stress management tool. You may utilize this as a place to check out Tapping, and/or as a casual ongoing accountability/support group. Led by qualified EFT Tapping practitioners, the 30 min Tapping Circles offer a safe space for participants to be guided with Tapping and other calming exercises. No knowledge or words are needed. Just your willingness to Tap along, with gentle curiosity and open-mindedness. Please feel free to share these Tapping Circles with your colleagues, and team. The better managed stress, the better our lives, the better we function in our work, the better we can serve and support the students, and better the world –

For those outside of GT: please use this link to register for any upcoming Tapping Circles.
-> Registration for the extended community.

GT Community members: please sign up below (with the optional GT benefits, to join internal mailing list, Polyvagal Exploration TEAM, etc.)

1. First Thursdays AM – 8:45~9:15am EST
Facilitators: Georgia Barnwell (Canada) or Julie Hawley (CA)
Registration for GT Community | GT Event Listing

2. Second Fridays PM – 3:00~3:30pm EST
Facilitators: Andrea Lewis (NY) &/or Mitsuko Ito (GT)
Registration for GT Community | GT Event Listing

3. Third Tuesdays PM – 3:00~3:25pm EST
Facilitators: Mitsuko Ito (GT)
Registration for GT Community | GT Event Listing

4. Fourth Mondays AM – 8:45~9:15am EST
Facilitators: Andrea Lewis (NY) &/or Terry Hernon (CT)
Registration for GT Community | GT Event Listing

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CEE Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CEE DEI Committee

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