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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

The University of Maryland's Fischell Department of Bioengineering works to engage in open dialogue with the students, faculty, staff, and wider BIOE community in conversations on race, anti-racism, unconscious bias, and inclusivity—including how to advocate for greater diversity in STEM. We invite you to be a part of these conversations and to use this platform to access both internal and external resources.

Two Bioengineering students pose at a conference booth.The vision of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) committee is to foster a community in our department in which every student, staff person, faculty member, and alumnus feels welcomed and has equitable opportunities to succeed. 

Three bioengineering students watch an experiment together in the labDiversity. Build a department community which includes students, faculty, and staff from a range of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and social identities.

Equity. Facilitate access to resources, opportunities, and experiences to enable each member of the community to reach their full potential.

Inclusion. Invite and welcome diversity to create an inclusive environment that allows each person to contribute meaningfully and with respect.

Belonging. Foster a culture where everyone feels welcomed, seen, heard, and valued for who they are.

Three bioengineering students pose for a picture with Testudo.DEIB Pillars will be achieved via the following Missions:

  1. Provide our community with learning opportunities centered around DEIB.
  2. Empower our community to change engineering and educational practices that negatively impact minoritized groups.
  3. Remove barriers to enable every member of our community to reach their potential.
  4. Prioritize wellness and create opportunities for connection to create a community where students, faculty and staff feel valued and like they belong.
  5. Inspire our community to positively impact justice and equity locally and globally.

Every community owes its existence and strength to the generations before them, around the world, who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy into making the history that led to this moment. Truth and acknowledgement are critical in building mutual respect and connections across all barriers of heritage and difference.

So, we acknowledge the truth that is often buried: We are on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway People, who are the ancestral stewards of this sacred land. It is their historical responsibility to advocate for the four-legged, the winged, those that crawl and those that swim. They remind us that clean air and pristine waterways are essential to all life.

This Land Acknowledgement is a vocal reminder for each of us as two-leggeds to ensure our physical environment is in better condition than what we inherited, for the health and prosperity of future generations.


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