The CDS Diversity & Inclusion Initiative
Diversity and inclusion are of utmost importance to CDS. In addition to participating in a number of university-wide initiatives, we as a program have specifically set out to build a culture and environment that embraces diversity and inclusion. Below we discuss some highlights and details of our initiative and how we aim to continue to evolve our program.
Here are some key milestones that speak to where we are now. This past spring 2020 semester, DeepMind Fellowship recipient Deja Bond became our first female African-American student to graduate from our MS program — which was covered in the Philadelphia Tribune. Prior to this, our first male African-American student, a CDS MS Scholarship recipient, graduated from our MS program in May 2018. Additionally, we’ve maintained an excellent gender balance in our MS program, with a percentage of women significantly larger than in other STEM degrees such as computer science and mathematics. Over the past few years, we have either come close to or exceeded the 50% mark.
It’s been imperative that CDS create and preserve an environment where diversity is not only valued but fostered, where every member of the CDS community feels that their voice is heard and their perspective valued. To this end, we’ve committed to closely collaborating with NYU’s Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation to provide continuous diversity and equity education as well as supporting student organizations and activities that promote a sense of belonging to the CDS community. We also have created a Diversity and Inclusion Committee that meets on a regular basis.
Here’s a look at some of our activities over the past few years. In 2020, we supported researchers and faculty to be able to participate in the 2020 Grace Hopper Annual Conference. In 2019, we attended the Great Minds in STEM to connect with Latinx students who are studying STEM. Within this same year, we also attended the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference to promote CDS’s graduate programs to underrepresented STEM students.
We have also continued to expand our Partners Program, led by our Head of External Relations and Career Development, Loraine Nascimento. The primary objective of the program is to create mutually beneficial relationships around recruiting, research, and philanthropic giving. Some of our notable partners are Capital One, DeepMind, and Warner Music Group, who have awarded fellowships to a number of our students. CDS is also able to support faculty and research staff through this initiative, as the recruitment and inclusion of all levels of academia is vital to our holistic approach to diversity and inclusion. Building a connection with students who are earlier in their academic career is also highly important to us. Furthermore, our Partners Program facilitates many opportunities to provide mentorship to high school students who are interested in STEM.
It is essential that we continue the effort to diversify the CDS community by attracting, recruiting, retaining, and engaging students, faculty, researchers, and staff members from diverse backgrounds.
To learn more about our Diversity & Inclusion Initiative and/or our Partners Program, please see the resources listed below.
Resources:
By Ashley C McDonald
