Our Mission

Our Mission

To bring together and provide support for diverse peoples to create and foster an inclusive and engaged community. To create a space for free communication among diverse groups to promote support and community.

The lack of diversity has always plagued higher education, especially with respect to STEM. In the United States, efforts have been made to build equity & inclusion in these institutions; however, far more work is needed to level the playing field for all peoples in STEM. National organizations such as the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Physical Society (APS) work diligently to promote diversity, equity, & inclusion — providing fantastic examples of what we should strive for on every American campus. In our Physics & Astronomy Department at Texas A&M University, College Station, we sought to create a community for all under-represented peoples.

We named this group SUPA: The Society for the Under-represented in Physics & Astronomy.

A Community

We provide a safe space for under-represented people to come together and discuss the challenges and issues they may face, both in our department and in academia in general. Open to everyone in the department, spanning all educational levels (including faculty and staff), we host monthly meetings in the department where we can all gather to discuss these challenges and (when applicable) strategize possible solutions. In addition, we also open our meetings to allies that wish to educate themselves — however we expect our allies to take on the full responsibility of educating themselves and not relying on under-represented peoples to do this for them.

Acknowledgement of All Under-represented Peoples

We acknowledge and support all under-represented peoples in our department, including those whose representation is not immediately visible.

The Conception of SUPA

Originally an astronomy women's lunch, SUPA was formed and expanded thanks to funding from a Diversity Grant from TAMU's Department of Physics & Astronomy. The funding was advised from the College of Science's Diversity and Equity Small Grants program. SUPA's conception and beginnings were the result of this funded proposal, written by our co-founders: Sarah Cantu, Taylor Hutchison, and Katelyn Stringer.