Tag: Diversity and inclusion

Evolution through example and action

“May we breathe life into the values we espouse as a community,” enjoined Senior Associate Dean Blanche Staton at a recent reception to honor MIT Graduate Women of Excellence.  “May we bring our minds, hands, and hearts into our places and spaces, and may we continue to lift up our graduate women and all our […]

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Driven to driverless

When Cindy Heredia was choosing an MBA program, she knew she wanted to be at the forefront of the autonomous driving industry. While doing research, she discovered that MIT had a unique offering: a student-run driverless team. Heredia applied to MIT to join the team, hoping to get hands-on experience. “My hope is that we’re […]

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Outrage After Uber’s Chief Diversity Officer Hosted ‘Karen’ Events About The ‘White Woman’s Experience’

NewsOne Featured Video Uber Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Bo Young Lee speaks onstage during Day 3 of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 at Moscone Center on September 7, 2018, in San Francisco, California. | Source: Kimberly White / Getty The chief diversity officer at Uber is under fire after employees voiced complaints about a pair […]

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First-of-its-kind Indigenous immersive incubator gathers on MIT campus

An historic delegation of 10 Indigenous artists and advisors recently gathered on MIT’s campus to share their work with each other and with the MIT community. The theme of the ISO Indigenous Incubator at MIT gathering was “Indigenous Knowledge and Immersive Technologies.” Led by the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) of Canada and hosted by the […]

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Laying the foundation to diversify the economics field and center racial equity in economics research

J-PAL North America is embarking on a year-long planning period to advance racial equity in its work. Throughout this year, J-PAL North America will develop a strategic vision for how to effectively and intentionally prioritize research that addresses racial equity. This includes developing guidance to determine when and how randomized evaluations can advance research related […]

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3 Questions: Per Urlaub on MIT Global Languages

In July 2022, Professor Per Urlaub joined MIT as the new director of Global Languages. A prolific researcher in second-language studies and the role of technology in language and humanities education, he holds a teaching appointment in MIT’s literature section. He came to MIT after having served in a variety of faculty and leadership roles […]

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Seychelle Vos and Hernandez Moura Silva named HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars

Two faculty members from the MIT Department of Biology have been selected by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) for the inaugural cohort of HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars.  Seychelle Vos, the Robert A. Swanson Career Development Professor of Life Sciences, and Hernandez Moura Silva, an assistant professor of biology and core member of the Ragon […]

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The measuring tape heard round the world

On a recent evening at MIT, over a hundred people gathered at Boynton Hall for a conversation with Amgen Professor of Biology Emerita Nancy Hopkins and journalist Kate Zernike. The topic of discussion was Zernike’s book, “The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science,” which made its official debut at the end […]

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“A family like no other”

On a clear, moonlit evening, a group of MIT undergraduate men of color gathered at the Samberg Center for a now-annual tradition: inducting the newest cohort of first-year students to The Standard, the Office of Minority Education’s program for undergraduate men of color. The gathering was festive, featuring dinner and a spectacular view of Boston, […]

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Understanding our place in the universe

Brian Nord first fell in love with physics when he was a teenager growing up in Wisconsin. His high school physics program wasn’t exceptional, and he sometimes struggled to keep up with class material, but those difficulties did nothing to dampen his interest in the subject. In addition to the main curriculum, students were encouraged […]

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A portfolio that’s out of this world

At age 9, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro SM ’20, PhD ’22 was preoccupied with down-to-earth problems, such as devising an alternative to her father’s messy, paper Filofax organizer, and fixing the unreliable electric service plaguing her home of Owerri, Nigeria. Could she have imagined a path-breaking, 17-year career at NASA, followed by a position as the nation’s […]

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A portfolio that’s out of this world

At age 9, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro SM ’20, PhD ’22 was preoccupied with down-to-earth problems, such as devising an alternative to her father’s messy, paper Filofax organizer, and fixing the unreliable electric service plaguing her home of Owerri, Nigeria. Could she have imagined a path-breaking, 17-year career at NASA, followed by a position as the nation’s […]

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New African and African diaspora studies major takes off at MIT

Commencement 2022 marked a milestone in MIT’s history, as Stacy Godfreey-Igwe ’22 became the first student to graduate in African and African diaspora studies (AADS). Godfreey-Igwe also majored in mechanical engineering and is now a fellow at the Science Technology Policy Institute in Washington. She recalls that while she did not initially intend to major […]

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WSJ Columnist Suggests Bank With ‘1 Black’ On The Board Failed Because Of ‘Diversity Demands’

NewsOne Featured Video Source: REBECCA NOBLE / Getty It appears that white conservatives, white men in particular, are starting a trend of blaming any and every failing of any company on its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It’s almost as if they see no value in recruiting practices that prioritize opportunities being extended to demographics […]

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3 Questions: John Dozier on Dialogues Across Difference

MIT’s new series “Dialogues Across Difference” will bring speakers to campus and create opportunities for community members to demonstrate practical ways to take on difficult subjects across differences of opinion, background, viewpoint, and life experience.  A collaboration among the offices of the MIT president, provost, and chancellor, the program kicks off March 22 with John […]

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Pilot, engineer, neuroscientist, bridge-builder

At first glance, aerospace engineering and brain and cognitive sciences may seem like an unlikely match for a double-major. But for Elissa Gibson ’22, the common thread connecting the two inherently different disciplines is clear: the human factor, by way of aviation. A lifelong love of airplanes helped Gibson discover the MIT Introduction to Technology, […]

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Georgia Republican Absurdly Tries To Link Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives To Ohio Train Derailment

NewsOne Featured Video Mike Collins, GOP Congressional candidate for Georgia’s 10th district, speaks during Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s campaign rally in Athens, Georgia. on November 5, 2022. | Source: Bill Clark / Getty I‘m not sure why white conservatives are so thoroughly convinced that “diversity and inclusion” mean businesses are sending out reps to tap […]

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MIT Cheney Room reopens with fresh and enhanced programming

The Margaret Cheney Room celebrated its reopening last month after significant updates and remodeling over the last several months. The celebration was led by Lauryn McNair, assistant dean of LBGTQ+ Women and Gender Services, and attended by MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles, Provost Cynthia Barnhart, and numerous students, staff, and alumni. In 1884, MIT founded the […]

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Daniel Hastings named American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics president-elect

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced Wednesday that MIT professor Daniel Hastings has been elected president-elect of the organization. Hastings, the associate dean of engineering for diversity, equity, and inclusion; head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and the Cecil and Ida Green Education Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will be […]

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MIT Press announces inaugural recipients of the Grant Program for Diverse Voices

The MIT Press has announced the first recipients of the Grant Program for Diverse Voices. Launched in 2021 to expand funding for authors whose experience and knowledge of diverse communities informs books that meet the highest standards of peer-reviewed scholarship, the initiative provides support for the research and writing of new works.  “The MIT Press […]

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3 Questions: Daniel Auguste on why “successful entrepreneurs don’t fall from the sky”

A lack of access to critical resources has prevented many middle- and low-income entrepreneurs from starting successful businesses, economic sociologist Daniel Auguste told an MIT audience in a Feb. 9 presentation on barriers to entrepreneurship in under-resourced communities of America. That’s a fundamental problem because entrepreneurship is one of society’s most significant pathways to economic […]

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Illuminating the successes and struggles of MIT Black history

When Victor Ransom ’42 arrived at MIT from New York City in 1941, he discovered a campus electrified by the war effort. People scurried between what he described as MIT’s “massive, unsympathetic buildings” as the campus underwent a transformation that took on new urgency after the attacks on Pearl Harbor that December. During his sophomore […]

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3 Questions: The power of music in advancing social justice

It Must Be Now! is an initiative created in response to the racial reckoning of 2020. Multiple events for the MIT community were held throughout 2021 and 2022, leading to an historic multidisciplinary concert in Kresge Auditorium in May 2022, featuring new works by composers Terri Lyne Carrington, Braxton Cook, and Sean Jones, whose creations […]

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Angela Davis: “We need to renew our commitments to struggle against racism”

MIT’s 49th annual Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place Wednesday before an overflow crowd at Morss Hall and featured activist and author Angela Y. Davis as its keynote speaker. The celebration luncheon was the lead event in a week of activities honoring the civil rights leader, and […]

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Angela Davis: “We need to renew our commitments to struggle against racism”

MIT’s 49th annual Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place Wednesday before an overflow crowd at Morss Hall and featured activist and author Angela Y. Davis as its keynote speaker. The celebration luncheon was the lead event in a week of activities honoring the civil rights leader, and […]

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Exploring the rich traditions of Brazilian music

Student presentations tackled themes of identity, nation-building, racism, multiculturalism, and more, as reflected in the rich traditions of Brazilian music at “The Beat of Brazil” last month at the Lewis Music Library. The presentations were by students of Portuguese enrolled in class 21G.821 (The Beat of Brazil: Portuguese Language Through Brazilian Society), taught by Nilma […]

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“This is the type of life that I want”

Growing up in Idaho, Catherine Ji found herself with a lot of time to write. “Idaho is a great environment for writing because it’s isolated and there’s a bunch of nature,” says Ji. “I wrote so much poetry — a lot of really messy poetry. I just loved it so much. It really defined my […]

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Matthew Notowidigdo appointed co-scientific director of J-PAL North America

J-PAL North America has announced that Matthew “Matt” Notowidigdo ’03, MEng ’04, PhD ’10, professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is joining Amy Finkelstein as co-scientific director of the organization, replacing Lawrence “Larry” Katz.  Katz is stepping down after nearly 10 years of supporting the growth and development of […]

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