Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) means everyone has equitable access and opportunity based on the principle that all our students, staff and faculty have a right to an educational experience free from social barriers.
JEDI means redesigning our hiring, admissions, retention and support processes to remove structural as well as individual biases.
JEDI means being transparent in communicating our progress, as well as where we need to improve.
JEDI means truly committing and taking action to create an inclusive and diverse community—one that will enrich engineering education and empower all of us to achieve our goals.
The Engineering Design and Innovation (EDI) Scholars Program, funded by an NSF S-STEM grant, provides low-income students the opportunity to be part of a hands-on, community-based cohort of scholars who will learn how to put social justice theory into practice in STEM fields. As EDI scholars, students will solve complex societal problems through engineering and computing projects.
Students need leadership skills to address society's largest and most challenging problems in the natural and built environments. The SEAS Leadership Development Program provides mentorship and professional development to SEAS BIPOC students who are currently engaged in a research project with a faculty advisor. Students who earn the fellowship also receive a mentoring session with the Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, focusing on the development of the student as a researcher, mentor and leader.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the SUNY LSAMP program seeks to diversify the STEM workforce by significantly increasing the number of students successfully completing degree programs in STEM disciplines. Particular emphasis is placed in support of groups that historically have been underrepresented in STEM such as African-Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders.
This campus-wide, student-centric program was created to enhance the education of the next generation of scholars and researchers, with a particular emphasis on diversity and inclusion in PhD programs.
The highly selective Empowering Advancement Scholarship aims to increase the percentage of undergraduate women in engineering and computer science programs. Women can apply in their first year and the award is a non-tuition scholarship that can be used for costs such as housing, student fees, or experiential learning opportunities, including study abroad. Funds are awarded annually over four years as long as the recipient remains a full-time student in an engineering or computer science major with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Our Engineering Justice Across the Curriculum (EJAC) initiative, led by a cross-disciplinary team of faculty in SEAS, connects students from computer science, engineering science, and engineering design to their social settings. EJAC challenges us to understand our social impact, address baked-in biases, and build systems that not only are good but that do good.
The EJAC Faculty Development Micro-grant offers support and compensation for SEAS faculty to develop and implement curricular choices (lessons, units, or courses) that respond to the need for inclusive pedagogies and train engineers to connect the social impact of their work to the technical aspects.
The Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Research Micro-grant supports researchers, including staff, postdocs, and graduate students, whose research and scholarship connect with our JEDI values and commitments.
The PRODiG (Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth) program aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields.
The Visiting Future Faculty Program (VITAL) is a four-day program that seeks to contribute to the growth of faculty from traditionally underrepresented populations in the United States, particularly from Indigenous, African American/Black, and Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds. VITAL scholars have the opportunity to present their work, engage with UB faculty and students, meet other scholars in the program, and experience the region’s many offerings.
The SEAS Office of STEM Diversity offers programs that work to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing STEM disciplines at UB through a variety of academic and social enrichment programs. Students have the opportunity to receive mentoring and conduct research in a strong, supportive environment.
In addition to supporting JEDI initiatives, the SEAS JEDI Committee serves as a resource for grant writing activities leading to a host of additional programs, including social justice in engineering, opportunities in graduate education for underrepresented students, and workforce development.
The Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) provides support and advice to the Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in several key areas such as long-term planning and strategy, educational and professional identity, and curriculum. The DAC is also invested in diversity and inclusion and has launched the Diversity and Equity in SEAS Working Group to provide input and advice on how to address disparities in the STEM workforce.
The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) ensures UB's compliance with policies covering discrimination, harassment, accommodations, equal opportunity and child protection.
Kristen Moore - Committee Chair
Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Kevin Burke
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Kathryn Doran
Assistant Dean for Academic Services, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Jada Mowatt
Student, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Shannon Phillips
Director of Operations, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Jen Zirnheld
Maxwell Technologies Inc. Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
Rajan Batta
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Recognition, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Jeffrey Errington
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Christine Human
Associate Dean for Accreditation and Student Affairs, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Letitia Thomas
Assistant Dean for Diversity, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Jason Armstrong
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Joseph Atkinson
Professor, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering
Kennedy Colon
Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering
Christopher Connor
Acting Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, University at Buffalo;
Senior Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Holly Evert
Director of Enrollment Marketing and Recruitment Communications, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Ashlee Ford Versypt
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Nina Jiangxi Gomez
Undergraduate Student, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
David Kofke
SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Samira Safaripour
PhD Student, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Matilde Sánchez-Peña
Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Education
Ema Scollo
Graduate Academic Coordinator, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department
Virgina Stever
Administrative Director, Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
David Yearke
Director of Cybersecurity and Data Assurance, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Jee Eun (Jamie) Kang, ISE (Chair); Jeff Errington, CBE; Atri Rudra, CSE
John Atkinson, CSEE and Craig Snoeyink, MAE (Co-Chairs); Lauren Kuryloski, DEE; Jenn Zirnheld, EE; Dave Kofke, CBE
Tenure-Track:
Ashlee Ford Versypt (Co-Chair), Kristen Moore, DEE; Negar-Elhami-Khorasani, CSEE
Non-Tenure-Track:
Christine Human, CSEE, (Co-Chair): Kevin Burke, EE; Amy Baird, DEE
Negar Elhami-Khorasani, CSEE and Atri Rudra, CSE (Co-Chairs): Jill Martiniuk, DEE; Viviana Monje-Galvan, CBE; Rajan Batta, ISE
Jason Armstrong, MAE and Doga Yucalan, DEE (Co-Chairs); Kevin Burke, EE