DEI Resources

Below are links to resources, support networks, and organizations that can help foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. If you would like to submit an item to this list, please email BIOE communications. Please note, this list is not an exhaustive list; additional information is available on the Clark School DEI webpage, as well as the University of Maryland's Office of Diversity & Inclusion website.

Funding Sources
  • Apply for financial support for research experience opportunity: Undergraduate Bioengineering students who wish to pursue research with a faculty member or affiliated faculty member of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering can apply for one year of financial support. The selected fellows will be compensated at a rate of $15/hour for 10 hours per week for two semesters starting fall semester; students will be encouraged to apply for other University opportunities (e.g. LSAMP, ASPIRE, Federal Work Study) for the following spring semester so that we can support as many students as possible. Deadline: August 1.
Support Services 
Ways to Get Involved
  • Graduate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey:  The Fischell Department of Bioengineering requests input from current graduate students regarding ways BIOE can improve and advance DEI efforts moving forward. Survey participants may submit their responses anonymously, or provide basic student information if they would like an opportunity for a follow-up discussion.
     
  • Undergraduate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey:  The Fischell Department of Bioengineering requests input from current graduate students regarding ways BIOE can improve and advance DEI efforts moving forward. Survey participants may submit their responses anonymously, or provide basic student information if they would like an opportunity for a follow-up discussion.
     
  • #FischellFriday Social Media Takeovers: Each week, the department invites students, faculty, staff, and alumni an opportunity to take over the BIOE Instagram handle to share experiences, highlight research, and raise awareness about causes near and dear to them. 
     
  • #TransTerps Campaign: The #TransTerps project formally launched in 2017. It is a part of the Rainbow Terrapin Network and an ongoing campus-wide campaign to improve campus climate for trans people by identifying, disseminating, and implementing good practices for trans inclusion.
Accessibility
  • Accessibility Hub: provides information and resources for members of the UMD community, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
     
  • Closed Captioning in Zoom Meetings: Closed captioning allows you or another meeting attendee, assigned by the host, to add closed captioning in a meeting. In a webinar, closed captioning can be typed by the host, co-host, or a panelist assigned by the host.  You can type the closed captions directly via Zoom or you can integrate a third party service. Learn how to view closed captions on the desktop client / mobile app and in Zoom Rooms. You can also integrate a third-party closed captioning service using a REST API.
     
  • Faculty Accommodation Request Procedure: for faculty members seeking resonable accommodations in the workplace; there is also information regarding Parking Accessibility.
     
  • Language Interpretation in Zoom Meetings & Webinars: Users that would like to include interpreters in their meetings or webinars now have the ability to enable language interpretation. This allows the host to designate participants as interpreters on the web portal or during a Zoom session.  
     
  • Maryland Color Contrast Chart: Color contrast between text and background is important as it affects people's ability to read information – particularly for individuals who have difficulties distinguishing some shades or colors (e.g. color blindness or color vision deficiency). This chart identifies which combinations of UMD's official colors  meet recommended standards for color contrast. This is highly useful for any visual presentations, graphics, etc. using UMD's official colors.
Recruitment
  • ADVANCE:  works to support the recruitment, retention, advancement and professional growth of women and underrepresented minority faculty at the University of Maryland.
Organizations, Training, & Support
 
  • Biomedical Engineering JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Training  by the Maisel Lab (Adapted from a previous presentation by Karen Daniels, Mary Elting and Jamila Simpson of North Carolina State University): Email Dr. Katharina Maisel for access.
     
  • The Black Faculty and Staff Association: provides a comprehensive and representative Black perspective on institutional, societal and programmatic development on campus. The BFSA encourages and supports the efforts of upward mobility of minority faculty and staff at all levels of the University, and offers both leadership and supportive services (administrative and academic) to facilitate the delivery of efficient and effective services to the University.
     
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training: UMD provides training in areas such as Diversity and Inclusion, Implicit Bias, and/or Cultural Competency through UMD's Office of Diversity & Inclusion
     
  • Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP): assists faculty and staff with a variety of problem areas,  including job difficulties; alcohol and drug problems; marital and family problems; emotional distress (anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, etc.); legal, financial and a variety of other concerns.
     
  • Family Services: UMD website that contains information on Lactation Rooms on campus and Changing Stations on campus, as well as a private listserv for parents who work or study at UMD.
     
  • Family Care Resources & Referral Services: created to assist University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students with their family care needs and concerns.
     
  • Office of Postdoctoral Affairs:  established to provide the postdoctoral community with information, training, mentoring, and services in support of career development.
     
  • MyPronouns.Org: website dedicated to explaining the importance of pronouns, what to do if someone makes a mistake and mispronouns someone, and how to use personal pronouns.
     
  • People-First Language: This resource, provided by the Obesity Action Coalition, addresses how language can perpetuate bias and stigma toward members of the obesity community as well as those of chronic disease, mental health, and/or disability communities. People-First Language prevents labeling someone as their disease, condition, etc.
     
  • Pronouns: UMD's LGBT Equity Center offers information on using pronouns on badges, emails, business cards, and in syllabi, and how to update your name/pronouns in various online systems, including Zoom and on Canvas.
     
  • Request an LGBTQ+ Speakers Bureau presentation: The Speakers Bureau educates the campus about sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression through panel discussions in classes, residence halls, and other university settings. Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied community who have received training for this purpose enter into these discussions prepared to disseminate accurate information, to answer questions that students, staff and faculty may have about the realities of LGBT lives, and to introduce the heterosexual, gender normative majority to visible members and allies of this mostly invisible minority.
     
  • Teaching and Learning Transformation Center: inspires and supports effective, engaging, efficient, and equitable teaching innovations among UMD instructors and assistants. 
Organizations, Programs, & Support
  • BlackAndSTEM: A Twitter-based community of Black STEM students, professionals, and advocates.
     
  • Black Illustrations: provides free-to-use  illustrations (such as for presentations or infographics) with Black representation. 
     
  • BME Organizations Leading Diversity (BOLD): The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) established BOLD to coordinate a national BME community response to longstanding racism in the U.S. and its impact on the composition and culture of BME and health care inequality.

For a more complete list of college-wide resources, organizations, and programs, please see the Clark School's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Data

  • College-wide diversity statistics may be found on the Clark School's Facts & Figures page.
Student Organizations, Programs, Societies & Support
 
  • Black Engineers Society: the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers at the University of Maryland. Their primary focus is to recruit, retain, and release qualified minorities into the fields of computer science, engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences.
     
  • Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering: provides academic support services and outreach programs designed to recruit, retain, and graduate African American, Hispanic American, and Native American engineering students.
     
  • ClarkLEAD: an onboarding and leadership experience for new engineering students. ClarkLEAD sparks conversations around leadership, diversity and inclusion, and teamwork, as well as the importance of these for engineering and engineering design.
     
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers: empowers students to find careers in STEM, provides professional development for SHPE members, and expands the members networks while providing a sense of inclusion. 
     
  • Society for Women Engineers:  run by Clark School faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. SWE is dedicated to the recruitment and retention of women engineering students at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
     
  • UMD oSTEM Chapter: student organization dedicated to fostering the professional and personal growth of LGBT students in STEM fields. UMD oSTEM is inclusive of those who are historically underrepresented with respect to gender, gender identity, and ethnic background.
     
  • Women in Engineering: dedicated to the recruitment and retention of women engineering students at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate levels. 
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Data
Organizations & Support
 
  • Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS): The ADS Office is staffed by dedicated professionals who are available to assist, consult, support, and advocate on behalf of individuals requesting disability services.
     
  • Accessibility Hub: provides information and resources for members of the UMD community, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
     
  • Addressing Anti-Semitism through the Lens of Anti-Racism: UMD's Office of Diversity & Inclusion is planning a programming series on the following broad themes: histories of anti-Semitism and resistance, understanding anti-Semitism intersectionally, unpacking anti-Semitism vs. anti-Israel, how to view this through an anti-racist lens, and Jewish narratives on UMD’s campus. 
     
  • Bias Incident Support Services: In alignment with the overarching missions and goals of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Bias Incident Support Services (BISS) is charged with responding, educating and reporting to the campus about hate-bias incidents. 
     
  • The Black Freedom Struggle in Maryland (Video): The Maryland Historical Society welcomes the University of Maryland, Department of History in this virtual program about Maryland’s Black Freedom Struggle. Presentations by Dr. Christopher Bonner, Dr. Michael Ross, and Dr. Elsa Barkley Brown address the Colonization Movement, African American soldiers in the Civil War, and racial terror during the Jim Crow era in Maryland. Dr. Richard Bell moderates.
     
  • International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS): assists international students with transitioning to the U.S., advising on immigration requirements, and making the most of their academic experience here.
     
  • Nyumburu Cultural Center: focuses on African-American students and students of the African Diaspora, both undergraduate and graduate; fostering greater involvement of these students in campus initiatives and instilling in these students an informed consciousness of their African-American, Caribbean, and African heritages.
     
  • Office of Diversity and Inclusion: provides leadership and expertise that enriches the experiences of individuals and builds stronger communities. ODI supports the efforts of campus units to achieve their diversity and inclusion goals.
     
  • Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity: envisions the University as a fully equitable community that empowers innovators and agents of social justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. 
     
  • Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education (OMSE): offers a variety of services and programs to enhance the academic experience of undergraduate students of various underrepresented ethnic backgrounds at the University, working toward building a positive and sensitive community of learners.
     
  • Rainbow Terrapin Network: The Rainbow Terrapin Network is a campus-wide network of staff, faculty, and students on UMD's campus committed to campus inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer folks and beyond. Historically, this took the form of in-person trainings. Today, this takes the form of community-driven action for institutional improvement, and has in recently years focused primarily on trans issues through the #TransTerps campaign.
     
  • Stop Trans Erasure flyer: A list of resources, support networks, and campaigns focused on supporting trans people, communities, and rights at UMD. 
     
  • “Study Weighs UMD’s Slavery Link” (Baltimore Sun): Article on the university’s origins and how a 2009 study paints a complex portrait of society that was looking to a future beyond slavery while remaining heavily dependent on it.
     
  • #TransTerps Campaign: The #TransTerps project formally launched in 2017. It is a part of the Rainbow Terrapin Network and an ongoing campus-wide campaign to improve campus climate for trans people by identifying, disseminating, and implementing good practices for trans inclusion.
     
  • University Chaplains: work collectively in an open, inclusive environment of many cultures and faiths, to serve the spiritual needs of the University.
     
  • Veteran Student Life: serves veterans and those who are military-connected on campus
     
  • Words of Engagement: Intergroup Dialogue Program: a for-credit social justice education program that brings together students of diverse social identity groups for facilitated face-to-face conversation that enhance participants’ self- and social awareness. Utilizing theory, experiential learning, and equity frameworks, WEIDP supports participants in exploring key questions about who we are, what we know about each other, and how cultural systems of power impact our lives and relationships. 
     

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