DEI Initiatives
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
More than 20 years of scientific pursuits have taught me that diversity and inclusion are a core component of academic life as well as an engine driving innovation and positive change in our society. However, restricted access to the academy, and to education in general, for large segments of our population due to race, gender, sexuality and other identity categories has threatened to undermine scientific research and advancement. For this reason, I strive to promote diversity and inclusion in the classroom, lab, the university and in the field of Earth Sciences, at large.
More than 20 years of scientific pursuits have taught me that diversity and inclusion are a core component of academic life as well as an engine driving innovation and positive change in our society. However, restricted access to the academy, and to education in general, for large segments of our population due to race, gender, sexuality and other identity categories has threatened to undermine scientific research and advancement. For this reason, I strive to promote diversity and inclusion in the classroom, lab, the university and in the field of Earth Sciences, at large.
Selected Initiatives:
Selected Initiatives:
- 2022-present: Supporting BAJEDI (Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) initiatives with the Division of Earth Sciences at the US National Science Foundation (https://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EAR).
- Collaboration with Dr. Moses Darpolor (Stillman College, HBCU Institution in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 2021-2022): Provided Stillman undergraduate students with research internships. Funded by the National Science Foundation through award # EAR-2019870
- UA Tide Together Retention Program (2018-2020): Provided students practical advice for improving their writing skills and productivity while in graduate school.
- Volunteer at Oakdale Elementary School (2018): Visited with a class of 25 fifth-graders at a predominately Black elementary school in Tuscaloosa’s historic West End and introduced them to geology and helped with math assignments.
- In 2015, invited to give a talk to the UA’s graduate student chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).
- Mentoring of McNair Undergraduate and Graduate Students at UA from 2010 to 2013.
- Secretary of the UA College of Arts & Science Diversity Committee (2010-2013): Contributed to the College’s recruitment of first-generation high school students from across the state. I also helped secure funding to promote diversity initiatives within the university and supplement scholarships for African American students within the College of Arts & Sciences.