Chestek Lab Statement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
As our lab is funded by taxpayers, we believe we have an obligation to give back to the community that allows us to pursue our passions and further scientific knowledge. We believe that we should lift up the community around us to help them pursue their passions as well.
In our lab, we believe in equal and equitable treatment for all.
We are actively working to improve and provide opportunities for marginalized groups in the following ways:
- Encouraging a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) service commitment from PhD students.
- Encouraging all lab members to attend at least 1 DEI learning event each semester.
We believe we can further contribute to our goal with the following:
- Hosting a weekly discussion club dedicated to injustices within academia and society that is open to all labs within the BioInterfaces Institute. Recent events, news articles, journal articles, seminars, and book chapters are discussed.
- Utilizing one lab meeting per semester to discuss academia focused issues (e.g. mental health as a grad student, how to cultivate a diverse lab, etc).
- Incorporating academic papers surrounding academic and societal injustices and inequalities into our weekly justice club.
We believe true diversity, equity, and inclusion requires an active pursuit of its goals. We believe that humans exist in an intersectional space and that their experiences are valuable. As such, our lab has adopted the following mantra to remind us to use our BRAIN:
