Why do we need diversity in Engineering?

We need diversity in Engineering because the world is a diverse place. Without diversity in Engineering, the needs of entire populations go overlooked. We all bring our lived experiences to everything we do and there is no one solution or way of thinking is that going to be able to solve the grand challenges of the world. We are better together.

What do you believe Purdue Engineering does a great job at? Many faculty, staff, and students at Purdue strive to provide an open and welcoming environment on campus where our Black community members know that they are valued. Purdue Engineering has a fantastic Minority Engineering Program (MEP) that succeeds at this and is an inclusive space on campus that supports and nurtures Black Engineers.

What do you believe Purdue Engineering needs to do a better job of? Despite wanting to be inclusive, we need to do a better job educating ourselves on the many different ways that systematic exclusion and inequalities present themselves and to make sure that we really do hear our Black community members and continually improve our efforts and actions needed to ensure that they feel valued. We need to actively fight individual biases and systemic racism, provide additional resources and support for inclusive programs, and increase efforts in recruitment and unbiased admissions processes.

How will you use your voice and/or platform to advocate for positive change? I am using my voice to advocate for positive change by leading a new Diversity Inclusion and Equity (DEI) Steering Committee in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering focused on taking action. Among other initiatives, we are collecting and analyzing data on school-wide diversity representation, initiating journal clubs and coaching around inclusion and equity to educate our faculty and students, increasing high school outreach and research opportunities for underrepresented minorities in Engineering, reviewing our curriculum to ensure examples of diverse successful engineers are included, and developing peer tutoring programs to support successful transitions from First Year Engineering and inclusion in Biomedical Engineering.