Black Students in Aerospace (BSA), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Latinos/Hispanics United in Aerospace (LUNA) organizations are hosting an end-of-semester talk with the outgoing Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, Dr. Alec Gallimore, on Thursday, April 13th from 6-7 PM in GG Brown Room 2505. This talk will consist of an address by Dean Gallimore, followed by a moderated question and answer session with live audience questions at the end, if time permits. The event focuses on the personal and career experiences of the Dean, his perspectives on how the Black engineering experience at the university can be improved by the College of Engineering’s DEI strategic plan, how student organizations can be better supported and uplifted, and more.
Please fill out the attached RSVP form to register for the event and submit any questions to be asked in the moderated Q&A portion (questions accepted until Thursday, April 6th at 12 PM). Refreshments will be served at 5:30PM, and the event will begin promptly at 6PM. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/hsj8EWhGjhsUpB1R9
Underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic workers in STEM fields contributes to racial wage gaps and reduces innovation and economic growth. Billions of dollars a year are spent on “pipeline” programs to increase diversity in STEM, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy. We fielded a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs that are targeted to underrepresented high school students hosted at an elite, technical institution. Students offered seats in the STEM summer programs are more likely to enroll in, persist through, and graduate from college. The programs also increase the likelihood that students graduate with a degree in a STEM field, with the most intensive program increasing four-year graduation with a STEM degree by 33 percent. The shift to STEM degrees increases potential earnings by 2 to 6 percent. Program-induced gains in college quality fully account for the gains in graduation, but gains in STEM degree attainment are larger than predicted based on institutional differences.
From the speaker’s bio
Silvia Robles is an economist and researcher at Mathematica. Prior to joining Mathematica in August 2019 Silvia worked at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, both as a postdoctoral fellow, and as an affiliate of Poverty Solutions. She earned her PhD in economics in 2016 from Harvard University. Her previous research has focused on underserved populations in education, including low-income and minority students. Specifically, she has studied outreach models to encourage the transition from high school to selective universities and STEM careers, as well as the impact of oversubscribed courses in community colleges, and the effectiveness of for-profit charter schools.
Registration link
Register: https://bit.ly/LGBTQ-UM-Events
Join Spectrum Center and MESA for our March Togetherness: QTBIPOC Gathering of this semester! Typically held on the second Monday of the month, these gatherings provide space for QTBIPOC students to build on-campus communities with each other. There will be food, drinks, and good company as we co-create this space together. Come chat, hang out, connect, snack, and vibe with us!
Spectrum Center Event Accessibility Statement:
The Spectrum Center is dedicated to working towards offering equitable access to all of the events we organize. If you have an accessibility need you feel may not be automatically met at this event, there is space to report that in the registration, or you can fill out our Event Accessibility Form, found at http://bit.ly/SCaccess. You do not need to have a registered disability with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) or identify as disabled to submit. Advance notice is necessary for some accommodations to be fully implemented, and we will always attempt to dismantle barriers as they are brought up to us. Any questions about accessibility at Spectrum Center events can be directed to spectrumcenter@umich.edu.
V. Thandi Sulé gives an online presentation highlighting how Black scholars in higher education resist Anti-Blackness and systemic oppression.
Dr. Sulé is an associate professor of Higher Education and the coordinator of the Masters in Higher Education Program at Oakland University. As a critical race feminist hip-hop scholar, her work focuses on educational equity issues, including retention, sense of belonging, and intercultural competencies. Specifically, her work has examined how underrepresented students and faculty contribute to teaching and learning environments on college campuses. Her work has been published in several journals, including the Journal of College Student Development, The Journal of Higher Education, Equity and Excellence in Education, Educational Policy, and the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
Jennifer Nash (Duke University) and Samantha Pinto (University of Texas) talk with Aida Levy-Hussen, associate professor of English language and literature, about their book series, Black Feminism on the Edge and about what new and urgent scholarship in Black feminist thought can look like.
About Humanities Afrofutures
Presented by the Institute for the Humanities, Humanities Afrofutures is a month-long series of events at the University of Michigan bringing together scholars, artists and activists to reexamine the past, explore critical issues in the present, and create a space for imagining possible futures.
Speakers include poet-activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Black Panther production designer Hannah Beachler, scholars Moya Bailey, Jennifer Nash, and Samantha Pinto, regional community leaders engaging in multi-faceted activist and creative work, U-M faculty, and more.
Join us for Humanities Afrofutures in February 2023. All events are free and open to the public.
Please join us next Thursday, February 23rd for AIChE’s Black History Month event to celebrate Black excellence in Chemical Engineering and discuss the barriers to inclusion of Black communities in Engineering fields. Dr. Levi Thompson will virtually join us to discuss his journey through Chemical Engineering and topics regarding Black identity in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Thompson received his Ph.D. from Michigan and remained to be a professor of Chemical Engineering for multiple years. He is currently the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware and has agreed to share his unique perspectives on Engineering education.
This event will be catered by a local black-owned business. Lunch will be served from 11:30am – 12:20pm in the EECS Atrium. This is followed by Dr. Thompson’s talk from 12:30pm – 1:20pm in EECS 1500. You must attend the talk in order to get lunch, we will be taking attendance to enforce this. NOTE: This event takes the place of our normal weekly luncheon and food will be served earlier than a normal week.
Also, please note that everyone is welcome to attend this event! You DO NOT need to be a member of AIChE or a Chemical Engineering major to attend. We hope to have attendance from students all across the college, so be sure to bring your friends! Please RSVP here (https://forms.gle/HDrLYC2L9hjWbE3X8) if you plan to attend.
In this virtual panel and discussion, Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez (Michigan State University) and Ryan James Kernan (Rutgers University) will share their groundbreaking research on the literary and cultural translation of Blackness before engaging in a discussion moderated by Aaron Coleman, U-M’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Critical Translation Studies.
Dr. Figueroa-Vásquez’s and Dr. Kernan’s transnational and Afrodiasporic scholarship transforms our understanding of Blackness at regional, national, and international scales. Their reframing of Afrolatinx and Black USAmerican literature and culture shines new light on the international and Afrodiasporic dimensions of poets like the U.S. Midwest’s Langston Hughes while envisioning new modes of Afrodiasporic community through digital and archival innovation.
Register here: https://umich.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4e4ivczuQE-mB5VOEw-wnw
Alize Asberry Payne is an Equity and Strategic Development professional working in Southeast, MI. Originally from San Francisco, Asberry Payne now serves as the first Racial Equity Officer for Washtenaw County. She brings a community-centered passion and professionalism to “equity work”, incorporating her experience as a community organizer, consultant, and strategist. Alize has over 25-years of experience in public policy, grassroots community development, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion spaces. Her work is centered in ensuring that the most vulnerable have equitable access to resources and the opportunity to thrive. Alize has been named a fellow for the “Crafting Democratic Futures” project at the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Solutions. The three-year effort, funded by the Mellon Foundation, will explore community-based reparations solutions for Black and Indigenous People of Color. Her collaborative research on the impact of the global pandemic in the Ypsilanti, MI community has been published by the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being at the University of Michigan. Asberry Payne also serves on the Washtenaw County Administrative Cabinet, Criminal Justice Collaborative Council, Washtenaw County 21st Century Policing Commission, and Michigan’s Covid-19 Racial Disparities Community Stakeholders workgroup. Alize lives in Detroit with her husband and child
Registration link
Join us for a “A Conversation with Nikki Giovanni” on Wednesday, February 8th | 6:00 – 7:30 PM EST in the Rackham Auditorium. moderated by the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies faculty, Dr. SaraEllen Strongman, Michigan Medicine Special Programs Manager and DEI Practitioner, Blaire Tinker, M.Ed. and Kayla Tate, Black Student Union Speaker.
Nikki Giovanni is a Grammy-nominated poet, National Book Award finalist, recipient of several NAACP Image Awards, the Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award, a Literary Excellence Award, the Langston Hughes Medal and a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. Ms. Giovanni is one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement and has authored 3 New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers. Her experiences are incredibly relevant and perfectly aligned with the theme of this year’s for the Black History Month.
Giovanni last visited the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in January 1999 to speak at the annual MLK, Jr. Day Symposium. While on campus, she also spoke to a group of students in the Nikki Giovanni Lounge in Mosher-Jordan Hall. This lounge celebrates her activism and literary contributions which centers race, gender, sexuality and the African-American family.
If you have questions, please contact Braini McKenzie, blackhistorymonth@umich.edu
Registration link
