Diversity and Inclusion Program (DIP)

Inclusion requires an ongoing effort to seek to understand every viewpoint, to empathize with every voice, and to speak collegially across differences. It also requires that we educate ourselves and others on how to identify and counter instances of intolerance. Through these actions, DIP continually works to cultivate an environment that ensures the participation of every individual and empowers every person to reach their full potential.

Give to DIP

Contact DIP:

Email the DIP Coordinator, Trevor Donadt at tbd37@cornell.edu.

Attend a meeting:

General meetings are held on Wednesdays at 3:00 PM in room 216, Olin Hall.

Ankita Mukhtyar of the Escobedo Lab: "I found Cornell to be flexible and interdisciplinary which gave me the freedom to study what I found interesting." Ankita has always been very focused on the breadth of areas that chemical engineering covers.After completing her undergrad in Mumbai, India, she chose Cornell and has been exploring many opportunities in and outside of CBE, such as business and computer science and helping lead the Graduate Society of Women Engineers.

Community Member of the Month:

Featuring Ankita Mukhtyar of the Escobedo Lab:

"I found Cornell to be flexible and interdisciplinary which gave me the freedom to study what I found interesting."

Ankita has always been very focused on the breadth of areas that chemical engineering covers.After completing her undergrad in Mumbai, India, she chose Cornell and has been exploring many opportunities in and outside of CBE, such as business and computer science and helping lead the Graduate Society of Women Engineers.

Current DIP Initiatives

The purpose of this website is to highlight the ongoing work of DIP initiative towards making Olin Hall a more diverse and inclusive environment. Beyond that, a collection of resources available to you on campus is also provided.

Ambiance in CBE

Our surroundings impact the way we resonate with a given place. In light of this, we aim at creating an environment in which our community is reflected as a whole, thus instilling a strong sense of belonging and self identity. In order to accomplish this, our efforts focus around three main projects:

1) Highlight our own diversity through monthly Student Spotlights. Posters combining people’s research with their unique backgrounds will serve as a way to provide inspiration to others who may see a reflection of themselves and also to remind us of the variety of experiences that we collectively bring together.

2) Through simple, but powerful messages (Pow Messages), we aim to help promote active thinking about inclusion while we walk about our halls.

3) Provide an accessible outlet to spread awareness of services available and provide information and skills to help us work towards being an inclusive environment.

DIP Seminar

The Diversity and Inclusion Program (DIP) seminar aims to invite speakers from academic to industry to present their broad experience in diversity and inclusion every semester. This allows students, faculty, and staff to hear about different perspectives and experiences with regard to diversity and inclusion.

Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP)

We believe that a key part of being inclusive is giving every member of our community the space to have conversations about their identity and their struggles. However, we recognize that these conversations can be difficult for all involved. To help facilitate these conversations, we are allying with the Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP) to provide training in dialogue skills to our students. IDP training provides a space where participants can explore their identity and how it relates to the experiences of the people around them. This is followed up by training in how to dialogue around these themes, providing skills that will allow our students to connect across differences and have honest conversations about diversity. This is a key step in allowing our department to become an inclusive environment.

Ezra Cornell’s hope of founding an institution where 'any person can find instruction in any study' – was more than just talk. What I didn’t know when I set foot on this campus was that Cornell actually breathed life into those words and had a commitment to maintaining this culture of community and inclusion... But I discovered that on my visit, and I knew that this was the place for me.

— Robert Frederick Smith '85

The College of Engineering is committed to diversity as a critical element in ensuring that our teaching remains connected to real-world problems, our research remains relevant and cutting-edge, and our social composition includes a variety of voices, thoughts, ideas, and opinions. What we are doing to build and sustain the pipeline of outstanding women and underrepresented minority students will impact our world for decades to come.

— Lance R. Collins, Joseph Silbert Dean of the College of Engineering

In the Smith School, we recognize that engineers are people who serve people by solving problems. We strive to create an environment for learning and research in which diverse cohorts of engineers can thrive and can gain skills to navigate both the technical and the human dimensions of our world's engineering challenges.

— Abe Stroock, William C. Hooey Director

DIP Initiative Archives

Highlighting the completed initiatives of DIP in an effort to create a more diverse and inclusive environment in Olin Hall.

Diversity Survey

The Diversity Survey aimed to identify unknown deficiencies in the department that limit the successful building of an inclusive community and trust between department members - student, faculty, and staff. Once identified and assessed, the Diversity and Inclusion Program (DIP) addressed these concerns by organizing on-going events, workshops and recommending training initiatives. These events will aim to improve the sense of belonging and inclusive nature of our community, building caution and preparedness to act against bias and divisive rhetoric. To assess progress, the survey will be issued yearly.

Inclusion Statement

An inclusion statement is a paragraph or section in an institutional, department or course charter that welcomes the range of human representations. Inclusion statements publicly communicate values of diversity and inclusion as well as outline goals and a plan for nurturing a diverse and inclusive learning environment. DIP believes that inclusion statements can serve as a powerful reflective exercise for members of the CBE community to contemplate their contributions to the climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in our department. We conducted this exercise collectively as a department (1) and offered opportunities for community members to do so individually (2).

(1) A sub-committee of DIP, composed of students and faculty drafted the Inclusion Statement for the entire department. This document offers a statement of CBE’s values, goals, and progress related to diversity and inclusion. Our hope is that the CBE Inclusion Statement will be a living document that will evolve based on input from the community.

(2) On-going efforts include hosting a workshop-series that supports staff, students, post-docs, and faculty in crafting an inclusion statement and/or personal narrative on the topic for professional or academic uses, such as on course syllabi, research websites, or job and fellowship applications.

The CBE Inclusion Statement can be read here: https://www.cheme.cornell.edu/cbe/about/mission.