• We are a community that cares about the mental and physical health of our students, faculty and staff first and foremost
• We value diversity in and inclusion of our students, faculty and staff and appreciate their backgrounds and opinions
• We remain committed to MIT’s goals of increasing the percentage of faculty and graduate students from under-represented groups
• We are inspired by the MIT 2004 pledge and seek to accomplish progress in diversification of our Department and our field
• We pledge to create and implement an action plan towards full achievement of the goals stated in 2004 and the recommendations of the 2010 report on Faculty and Diversity

A Moment to Exhale

April 22, 2021

Dear ChemE Community,
For many of us, the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial marks an important inflection in the fight for justice and accountability after what has been an incredibly momentous year. After hearing George Floyd call his mother’s name while dying in the street at the hands of someone appointed to protect us, we have finally – and for many of us, unexpectedly – experienced a moment when justice, or at least accountability, was achieved. This event indicates the possibility for positive change, and the potential that we have as a society to move toward a more equitable world in which every person’s value is equally treasured.

I hope that we all take a moment to exhale. It is important to recognize important moments that will trigger changes that are needed to build the world to which we all aspire. For me, the relief was palpable – but also remarkably wary. In the midst of the excitement and joy of this experience of seeing justice made real is the possibility of losing this chance, this opportunity, for more complete and permanent change. The reports of more precious lives lost even in the wake of this victory underlines the importance of not becoming complacent.

In our own lives, we teach about, support and create technological solutions that help the world. Over the past year or more, our community has engaged more broadly in how to make our work and our environments more inclusive, diverse and representative of people of all races, gender identification, sexual orientation and home or culture of origin. Let’s use this moment as our own inflection point, as a source of power and inspiration as we work toward amplifying and supporting our own diversity and ensuring that we value every aspect of the unique individuals in our community. I look forward to partnering with all of you in promoting an equitable and welcoming community, and fighting, working and moving toward a better world in every way.

Best Regards,
Paula Hammond

In Response to Anti-Asian Violence

March 18, 2021

Dear ChemE Community,
Over the past 24 to 48 hours, we have been hearing about the recent violence against several Asian American women in Georgia, and much more broadly, the increasing spiral of racist and xenophobic comments and actions that our Asian and Asian American community has experienced over the past year. Last summer, we gathered together and stood up for racial equity and social justice in response to the loss of Black lives. Today we must stand up against the violence against those of Asian descent, and the racism that they face in their every day lives. As a community, we live, work, and learn from each other. It is the diversity of our community that is our strength. I want to convey to all of you that you are in a safe place within our Chemical Engineering Community – that we support you, and will always strive to provide an environment in which everyone here is welcomed, treasured, respected and protected.

Best Regards,
Paula Hammond

(February 6, 2019)

Dear Chemical Engineering Community,

At MIT, as a scientific and engineering community, we have always embraced challenges. Along with the many technological obstacles that the members of this Department tackle on an everyday basis, we also face the challenge of ensuring a workplace and academic setting in which all of the members of our community can excel and prosper. These issues go beyond just gender, ethnicity or nationality, and include how we treat each of the members of our Department. Over the past few years, I, along with the rest of the faculty, have been listening to you, receiving your feedback in surveys and in town halls, one-on-one meetings and student board discussions, and we recognize an opportunity to openly embrace the goal of a welcoming and inclusive community for our students, researchers, faculty, administrative and support staff. I am reaching out to you today as we start the Spring term to let you know that our faculty is determined to ensure an academic climate and culture in which all can prosper. As a faculty, we feel that it is important to demonstrate the importance that we place on an inclusive setting to achieve the highest levels of excellence from every participant, and provide the most meaningful academic experiences for our students and trainees. We anticipate that these efforts will extend from independent research labs to our undergraduate classrooms, and that the faculty will work in partnership with student groups and staff to explore areas where the Department can grow or improve, as well as areas where we identify positive outcomes that may inform additional efforts in the Department. We also recognize our responsibility to teach and inform our students and postdoctoral trainees on the importance of inclusive work environments.

As a field, Chemical Engineering has seen some increase in diversity over the past few decades in terms of numbers of women and underrepresented groups; however, we still have far to go in terms of representation among these groups, and there remain some imbalances and meaningful differences in the experiences of those who are traditionally underrepresented when it comes to mentoring, academic or career advance. More subtle differences can exist in the degree to which some in the field feel empowered to take part fully in their scientific settings. Research groups represent one of the core and most influential sub-communities within an academic setting. In creating an environment in which every participant feels empowered to engage in their work, the faculty voted overwhelmingly this January to take positive action by committing to a lab-by-lab workshop, “Promoting a Professional and Inclusive Lab Culture”, to be given for every research group (smaller groups may be combined) that will include the PI, lab managers and staff, postdocs, and students together. The workshops will be organized and led by Sarah Rankin of the Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response Office (IDHR) and Kelley Adams of the Violence Prevention and Response Office. It should be noted that the program’s focus goes beyond gender and includes other forms of harassment (including based on race, nationality, culture, seniority etc.) as open topics of discussion in the groups, as well as ideas for different ways in which lab cultures might be better able to ensure an inclusive environment. We plan to implement these workshops in every Chemical Engineering research lab by August of this year.

The workshops are simply the initiation of what I hope will be a much broader series of efforts within our Department. Our undergraduate student culture within the Department is dominated much more by our undergraduate courses and the core curriculum, as well as interactions with advisors and student groups. Our graduate students have also provided feedback about their first year experience, which is also influenced by coursework. Because much of the student academic experience is in the classroom, I hope to hold forums with both the Undergraduate Student Advisory Board (USAB) and the Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB) that will bring faculty instructors and students together in groups to constructively discuss elements within and beyond the classroom that are helpful to an overall enabling and inclusive learning environment. I will be working with these student groups, and others, including the new Graduate Women in Chemical Engineering group, in conjunction with the Student Office, throughout this Spring and next Fall to elicit ideas that may help to inform generalized best practices for discussion by our faculty, as well as more constructive and informative modes of feedback for course instructors.

In the end, these efforts are about all of us as a Department community, and include our faculty, students, and staff who help to create, build and support the environment in which we work. The generation of a welcoming and inclusive culture is important for us all to embrace – the peer-to-peer experiences of our undergraduate and graduate students can be just as impactful as a student’s interactions with a research PI, the manner in which support staff or lab personnel are treated can set or influence the tone for interactions in the larger group, and interactions between students and faculty that maintain mutual respect provide the basis for much more effective learning in classrooms or labs. As a Department, we embrace these values of shared respect and sensitivity to others, academic integrity, and high standards of interpersonal behavior. We are an excellent Department; it is my hope that our continued efforts to ensure these values extend throughout every aspect of our Department community life will only help to make us an even more outstanding place to learn and live.

Best Regards,
Paula Hammond

• Kept to simple and straightforward expectations and rules
• Can use as basis for setting expectations for new and current lab members
• Provides an opportunity for discussion
• Enables discussion of lab social and ethical norms
• Best if accompanied with an idea of process or approach if values are violated
• Some of our faculty have already piloted idea

We have representation across gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and country of origin from every sector of our community.  Their interest and dedication towards diversity is universal, and we are very thankful to them for contributing their time towards this important effort.

Executive Committee

Kristala L. Jones Prather (Department Head, ex-officio)
Chris Love (Faculty Co-Chair)
Melanie Charette (Staff Co-Chair, Academic Office)
Hadley Sikes (Graduate Officer)
Tom Kinney (Undergraduate Officer)
Will Tisdale (Graduate Admissions Chair)
Melanie Kaufman (Communications Officer)
Christelle Hayles (DEI Specialist)
Naomh Fairweather (Administrative Support, Staff)

Full Committee

Fikile Brushett (Faculty Representative)
Connor Coley (Faculty Representative)
Maggie Qi (Faculty Representative)
Swathi Penumutchu (Postdoc Representative)
Ben Pedretti (Postdoc Representative)
Hannah Cross (Staff Representative)
Jim Hardsog (Staff Representative)
Wezi Mkandawire (GSAB Representative)
Shelbe Johnson (DICE Representative)
Gabriel Sanchez Velazquez (DICE Representative)
Hannah Boyce (GWiChE Representative)
Megan Eaton ’24 (AIChE Representative)
Rachel Lee ’26 (AIChE Representative)
TBD (USAB Representative)

• Departmental Administrative Efforts
  • Department Head DEI Office Hours were offered July-November 2020, allowing all members of the community to talk directly with administration
  • The Department worked with its student diversity groups to create a day-long virtual program for #ShutDownSTEM designed for the entire community. This event included a community open discussion on what we can do to increase diversity and address systemic racism within Department.
  • DEI Specialist position was created and filled.
  • DEI Committee
    • The MIT Chemical Engineering DEI Committee has representation across gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and country of origin from every sector of our community.  Our representatives’ interest and dedication towards diversity is universal, and we are very thankful to them for contributing their time towards this important effort. The committee meets regularly, with reports and discussion of DEI efforts and issues in the Department.
    • The Committee is currently developing a Department community strategic plan.
    • 01/29/2021 DEI Committee update (pdf)
  • Graduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions has focused on adapting its admissions approach to ensure a full and holistic review of individual applicants by addressing the applications review process.  Furthermore, recruiting efforts have also been adapted over the past years to create a welcoming environment that represents our strong belief in the need for diverse scholars to maintain the excellence of our programs.
      As of July 2020, GRE scores are no longer required or accepted as part of the PhD/ScD and MSCEP applications. It has been shown that the GRE score does not correlate well with student success in our PhD program and in many other engineering and science programs; yet, it does correlate negatively for race, gender and income.  Furthermore, financial aspects of taking the test and preparing for it make the GRE a barrier that we believe could be lowering the numbers of qualified applicants, especially in underrepresented groups.
    • In 2020, we piloted a new recruiting program to operate with students and the Student Office: Grad School “Office Hours.” These were presented by current grad students to students at their alma maters; we ran pilot with small number of schools, and hope to assess and expand in 2021.
  • Staff-led initiatives
    • Staff have led multiple focus groups discussing DEI and equitable experiences for staff in the Department
    • ChemE staff members have been appointed to the SoE’s Staff Advice and Implementation Committee (SAIC) on DEI and Professional Development.
  • Laboratory Culture and Value Statements
  • Unconscious Bias trainings for faculty, staff and students
• Group Initiatives
  • NOBCChE (National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers)
    • The mission of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers is to professionally advance the careers of its members to create a network of successful global STEM leaders and to help people of color in realizing and reaching their potentials in academic and professional field relating to Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The MIT Chapter of NOBCChE does that through holding a series of events that include resume workshops, industry and faculty speaker events, general body meetings and mixers with other professional minority groups. To learn more about our efforts or know when these events are being held, contact nobccheexec@mit.edu to be added to our mailing list!
    • National Conference: The MIT Chemical Engineering Department participates in the recruitment fair and has a booth where prospective students can come learn about MIT Chemical Engineering and ask questions about the program and application process.
  • NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers)
    • National Conference: The MIT Chemical Engineering Department participates in the recruitment fair and has a booth where prospective students can come learn about MIT Chemical Engineering and ask questions about the program and application process.
  • SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers)
    • National Conference: The MIT Chemical Engineering Department participates in the recruitment fair and has a booth where prospective students can come learn about MIT Chemical Engineering and ask questions about the program and application process.
  • SWE (Society of Women Engineers)
    • National Conference: The MIT Chemical Engineering Department participates in the recruitment fair and has a booth where prospective students can come learn about MIT Chemical Engineering and ask questions about the program and application process.
  • ChAMP (Chemical Engineering Application Mentorship Program)
    • ChAMP is a volunteer-based student mentoring program which aims to assist applicants from communities that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, including students from groups underrepresented in STEM, students with non-traditional academic backgrounds, and students from academic institutions which have not historically sent many students to MIT. Applicants are paired with graduate student mentors who can answer questions about MIT ChemE and provide assistance in preparing strong applications for the MIT Chemical Engineering Department MS, PhD, and PhDCEP programs. The volunteers work through the ChemE Communications Lab, and the program is facilitated through our Student Office. The program has been very successful and was expanded in 2020.
      Questions or interest to get involved? Please email champx@mit.edu.
  • DICE (Diversity in Chemical Engineering)
    • DICE is a graduate student-led group that promotes a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in the department through initiatives such as mentorship through the application process (ChAMP), discussions focused on racial justice in society and academia, social gatherings for underrepresented minorities, bias trainings, and donation drives to support organizations fighting for social justice. We support all efforts in the name of DEI and are allies to efforts in policy and cultural change. Group contact: di-cheme@mit.edu.
    • During the 2020 fall semester, DICE sponsored a Donation Drive raising money for anti-racism organizations.
  • GWIChE (Graduate Women in Chemical Engineering)
    • GWiChE aims to support graduate womxn in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT by facilitating the formation of social and professional networks, providing opportunities for personal growth and empowerment, and promoting a supportive and inclusive environment. Initiatives and events include faculty luncheons, book clubs, international student mixers and a womxn of color panel. Please contact gwcheme@mit.edu with questions or if interested in getting involved.
  • AIChE DEI Efforts
  • Postdoctoral DE&I Committee
    • MIT’s Postdoctoral Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee seeks to address all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) for postdocs at MIT. By leveraging the existing globally diverse population of postdocs, we hope to create an even more inclusive, diverse, and collaborative environment for all at MIT, and to prepare postdocs to be leaders in DE&I efforts both here and at future workplaces. By maintaining this standing committee, we aim to enable its members to provide new opportunities for training, to assemble resources, and to advocate for awareness and institutional changes. The committee is run primarily by the DE&I Chair of the PDA, presently Kyle Diederichsen (Course X), but many postdocs have contributed to getting the committee going! The committee has sponsored DEI book and journal clubs.
• Other Opportunities for Involvement
  • Discussion Series on Allyship and Discrimination
    • In collaboration with the ChemE Student Office, DICE and NOBCChE have created an ongoing discussion series on allyship and anti-discrimination. Events include a Black Music Listening Session (August 2020) and a discussion with Angie Davis (October 2020). DICE has strived to create a space to learn about and discuss racial issues that are not only prevalent in society but also affect every department member as well. We have discussed topics such as privilege, allyship, intersectionality and also taken the time to appreciate Black art and Black music through collaborations with NOBCChE. These discussions have been either centered around short reading material that introduces and explains a concept, such as allyship, or around a guest speaker that can speak to the topic at hand. We hope participants can come away with actionable items that they can bring back to their most immediate communities, such as their labs, and continue the discussion there.
  • Book Clubs (Graduate and Undergraduate)
    • We have started undergraduate and graduate book clubs in order to provide students, faculty, and staff a friendly and inclusive environment in which to hold virtual discussions based on the books as they relate to current events, universal experiences, and many other topics. Each book club meets twice during the semester, with everyone having read a portion of a book selected by the participants. We all discuss what we have read together.
    • We plan to continue these activities that allow us to stay connected during these unprecedented times, as well as to cover as many topics as possible. The undergraduate book club has read The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin, and the graduate book club in collaboration with GSCX read The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov. The IAP 2021 GSCX book club chose Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi as its subject.
  • ACCESS
    • The mission of the ACCESS program is to increase the diversity of qualified applicants to PHD programs in chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science throughout the United States. ACCESS is a weekend of educational and informative events that will introduce talented sophomores, juniors and seniors to the benefits of a graduate education in chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science. The goal of ACCESS is not to prepare students for graduate school at MIT specifically, but rather to introduce them to the advantages of choosing a graduate career path at an institution that best meets each participant’s individual needs.
    • The 2020 ACCESS program was fully virtual and highly attended. Coordinated with DMSE and Chemistry, the event had a record attendance and participation among Chemical Engineering students (70-80 students for ChemE alone, compared to usual year with 8-12 ChemE interested students).
  • Rising Stars Symposium
    • Chemical Engineering at MIT invites top early career women who are interested in faculty careers in Chemical Engineering to apply to the ChemE Rising Stars Workshop held on the MIT campus each fall. This two day workshop brings together top female doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who are approximately one year away from submitting applications for faculty openings. The program includes research presentations, panel discussions with MIT faculty, communications workshops, and a networking events with faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers currently at MIT.
    • The 2020 Rising Stars Symposium was virtual, with 20 attendees from across the country (and Singapore) part of the event. Despite obvious challenges, it was successful, with great positive feedback from the cohort.
  • W.I.S.E. (Weekend Immersion in Science and Engineering) lab tours with the MIT Office of Admissions
  • Future Faculty Seminar Series
  • Diversity Communications

• ✓ Establish commitment of faculty to address welcoming and inclusive environment (Jan 2019)
• ✓ SHAP training for every lab that will include the PI, lab managers and staff, postdocs, students together (can combine labs for smaller groups (Spring and Summer 2019) – repeat cyclically
• ✓ Department-wide statement from DH (Spring 2019)
• Consistent Department level articulation to community regarding inclusive environment
• Organize separate ✓ Grad and ✓ Undergrad Roundtable Lunch Forums on Department climate with collaboration of GSAB and USAB, and faculty participation
  • Determine further recommendations based on understanding, suggestions, ideas brought out from Forums (ongoing).
  • Implementation of recommendations distributed between Grad Committee, Student Office, Dept. Head, Exec Officer, Faculty PI’s and GSAB/USAB based on respective roles. (ongoing)
• ✓ GSAB Guidebook of Recommended Practices
• ✓ Retreat Mentor Workshop and Discussions (Led by Bruce Birren, afternoon session)
• Lab value, expectation and culture statements created by PI and lab members for each lab (underway, by end of 2020)
• Two-way Feedback system for advisor/advisee relationship (underway, Grad Committee develops form for faculty vote Spring 2020 semester)
• ✓ Continued efforts to increase diversity in Grad program (ongoing): New Grad Diversity Group
• ✓ Discuss new efforts in recruitment (ongoing); improve/leverage ACCESS; Grad program ChAMPs

• 2 way feedback review form for students and faculty
  • Address student growth and progression toward degree
  • Include positive and negative feedback for the student
  • Ask about specific areas where advisor can improve
  • Include ways in which advisor is helpful
  • Ask about lab and lab environment overall
  • Ask whether previous concerns are being addressed
• Exit interviews for graduating students
• Collective feedback from lab derived from group discussion
• Some of our faculty have already piloted idea