Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Outreach
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Why is it important?
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Underrepresented and marginalized individuals and groups of people bring invaluable richness to all domains of society, especially education and research
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Promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive space not only benefits marginalized communities – it benefits us all! Maintaining a diverse institution and laboratory propels us forward by allowing us to see multiple perspectives for better problem solving
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Advocacy Work:
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Disability is an often overlooked and forgotten about group that is critical to DEI
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More often than not, disability has become an afterthought in DEI initiatives
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As a scientist and educator, Prof. Heiranian is passionate about making materials accessible to all. Because of this, he has been committed to making his classroom suitable to all needs
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Prof. Heiranian has served as an expert consultant for the International Alliance for Ability in Science (IAFAIS). IAFAIS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded and ran by disabled women in STEM
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He has consulted the board of IAFAIS on engineering topics and laboratory needs for individuals taking courses or doing a wide variety of research in engineering and computer science
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IAFAIS has produced outstanding educational resources for disabled students and researchers in STEM. Of these, he has aided in free 1:1 tutoring for STEM students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) such as dyscalculia and dyslexia
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he has aided in grant writing consultation and fundraising for the group, which has resulted in an incoming $15,000. These funds have been used solely to provide scholarship and financial aid opportunities for disabled students and researchers in STEM fields
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