Diversity & Equity Inclusion Committee

The IGG DEIC is a group of dedicated graduate students and faculty committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for IGG students. 

The IGG Graduate Group is focused on intentionally upholding practices regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEIC wishes to support these efforts by providing the IGG community with data-driven solutions that will help us increase diversity in the graduate group, foster a welcoming and inclusive workplace, and establish accountability through data-driven metrics and strategies.

Current Members

Gabriana La

Sarah Ng

Daniel Novoa

Alex Neupauer

Tell Mathieu

Mariam El-karim

Projects

Curriculum

One of the goals of the DEI Committee is to integrate necessary DEI information into the core curriculum, including topics such as the role of race in genetics research, addressing ableism as a geneticist, etc. Dr. Cecilia Giulivi, Dr. Danika Bannasch, and Viktoria Haghani worked together to create a course that first launched in Spring of 2022 called GGG 298: The Interface of Genetics with Racism, Inequality, and Exclusion, incorporating much of these topics. It was held for the second time in Spring of 2023 before turning into an elective course (GGG 280) in the following years.

DEI Training

In order for faculty to be considered members of IGG, they are required to take a yearly DEI seminar or workshop. This was instituted in the IGG bylaws during the 2022-2023 school year in order to ensure that faculty are dedicated to maintaining equitable and inclusive mentorship for IGG students.

Recruitment and Admissions

The field of genetics is in need of researchers with various backgrounds and identities to ensure that ethical and inclusive research is carried out. As such, we have worked towards hosting a yearly webinar for dozens of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions to encourage students to pursue professional degrees. It begins with descriptions of what graduate school entails and what is expected of graduate students, then dives deeper into some of the UC Davis graduate programs and what we can offer to students. This effort is combined with the training provided to the Admissions Committee to ensure that a holistic review approach is taken when screening IGG applicants. Overall, we aim to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion in IGG, breaking down the barriers that have prevented representation in STEM.

Student Retention

One of the problems with DEI efforts is that many focus solely on the recruitment or admissions aspect, but do not follow up with their students after admission. In IGG, we are dedicated to following up with our admitted students. To do so, we work towards providing culturally similar mentorship for first-years through a first-year mentor matching program. We also work towards promoting professional development and funding opportunities targeted to underrepresented minority groups.

Student Identities

A yearly survey is conducted to assess student identities. This is to ensure that we are providing resources and training that cater to our student population so that they feel supported as a graduate student in IGG. Furthermore, we also aim to assess the climate within IGG to maintain a healthy working environment.

Exploring DEI Topics

The purpose of this project was to compile and provide resources to encourage students to further their knowledge of various DEI topics. There are several topics and types of resources (podcasts, books, scientific papers, etc.) that we have worked to provide students with.  There are also reflection questions that can be used in course settings, casual discussions, or just food for thought.  The idea to put together these resources belonged to Ellen Osborn. They were compiled by the collective effort of Ellen Osborn, Viktoria Haghani, Fiona Buchanan, and Ismael Acedo. Please visit the page to check out these resources.

Alumni

The efforts seen here could not have been carried out without the collective work of the students serving on the DEI Committee. Here, we would like to acknowledge those who have contributed.

Past Chairs

• Viktoria Haghani, DEI Chair 2021-2023

• Noemie Sierra, DEI Chair 2020-2021

Past Members

• Ismael Acedo

• Grace Auringer

• Fiona Buchanan

• Tamara Christiani 

• Francisco Figueroa

• Savannah Free

• Ellen Gregory

• Oran Gutierrez

• Ethan Holleman

• Shannon Joslin

• Nicole Kingsley

• Jules Mouat

• Benny Ordoñez 

• Victor Rivas

• Aarthi Sekar

• Diana Sernas

• Daniela Soto

• Jennifer (JJ) Waldo

• Logan Williams

Davis Community Involvement

If you are interested in getting more broadly involved with the Davis community, here are some organizations that might be of interest to you:

• Davis Phoenix Coalition 

• Yolo Food Bank