I want this class to be a collaborative community that is a safe space and affirming for everyone. I have a lot of privilege as cishet, able bodied, white woman. I try to be an ally to people who don't have the same privileges. If something in this course is not affirming or makes you feel excluded or offended in any way, please bring it to my attention.

You might ask how all of this is related to engineering. Think about some of the power structures that exist in our everyday lives (e.g., engineers and technicians, professors and students). Additionally, think about who teaches most of your engineering courses and who wrote the majority of the textbooks for them. I believe that everyone can and should be welcomed and included in engineering. Thus, understanding and being sensitive to the systematic role that these power structures play in our lives as engineers can help us come up with better solutions to societal problems, which is our job. In the context of the material in this course we will sometimes discuss how we, as engineers, can help promote inclusiveness and fairness in our field through our work. I will highlight some of the engineers from historically excluded groups from UConn and beyond, because I think they are good role models and provide representation.

I also believe in growth mindset, or that we are malleable and can learn anything, despite “not being good at math,” for example. We don’t have fixed abilities or talents. You can all be successful engineers, if that is what you want to do. I don’t believe any of you “just can’t cut it.” Here is a podcast about this.

Finally, I believe in asset-based approaches, or that every single person in the class comes to class with knowledge and their own lived experiences that should not be diminished or discounted. Every single person brings something to the table in this class and has experiences they can share that can help us solve problems. So, instead of focusing on what students don’t have (e.g, “the students can’t solve differential equations.”), I do my best to approach things with an asset-based attitude. Another podcast!

We all have the right to be addressed by our gender identities and chosen names. Chosen names and pronouns are to be respected. Let me know if you use a chosen name and feel free to share your pronouns. Mistakes in addressing each other may happen, but I want to encourage an open, safe environment where we can all learn.