Michigan Physics organized the first departmental committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the Fall of 2016. Since its founding, the DEI Committee has developed projects that are aligned with the goals of Michigan Physics, the U-M Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the American Physical Society.
Past and current projects include surveying student experiences, expanding efforts to recruit students of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women to our doctoral program, developing holistic admission practices, and providing educational resources to local communities. We also organize talks and workshops to keep our community updated on current initiatives and to communicate the importance of an inclusive and cooperative climate. Details about our ongoing work can be found on the Current Projects and Plans page.
Committee membership includes a host of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff from both the Physics Department and Applied Physics Program. Student participation is a core value to the DEI Committee and many of our members are also engaged with student groups such as Society of Physics Students (SPS), Physics Grad Council, and Community of Physicists for Inclusion and Equity (CoPhIE). For more information on how to become involved, please contact physics-deigssa@umich.edu.
This website is intended to provide updates on departmental achievements and activities as well as provide information on diversity-related resources both on and outside U-M’s campus.
Members of the Committee*
Chair, Faculty Member
- Roy Clarke
Teaching Subcommittee
- Jennifer Ogilvie (DEI Committee Chair, she/her/hers)
- Chris Meiners (Faculty, he/him/his)
- Ashlee Wolfe (Student Administration Manager, she/her/hers)
- Anwesha Saha (Graduate Student, she/her/hers)
- Shailaja Humane (DEI Student Assistant, she/her/hers)
- Yin Min Goh (Undergraduate Student, she/her/hers)
- Nora Sherman (Graduate Student, she/her/hers)
- Liam Blanchard (DEI Student Assistant, he/him/his)
- Bing Zhou (Faculty, she/her/hers)
Representation Subcommittee
- Cagliyan Kurdak (Director of Applied Physics, he/him/his)
- Johnathon Jordan (Graduate Student, he/him/his)
- Marina David (Graduate Student)
- Humna Awan (Research Fellow)
- Emily Crabtree (DEI Student Assistant, she/her/hers)
Past Members
- Essam Al-Snayyan
- Brian Beckford
- Elise Bodei
- Chelsea Hendrus
- Nita Kedharnath
- Eva Krageloh
- Maya Mallaby-Kay
- Brad Orr
- Julie Rakas
- Andira Ramos
- John Schotland
- Sara Simon
- Liana Simpson
- Alexander Takla
- Morgan Whitcomb
- Chrisy Xiyu Du
Outreach Subcommittee
- Roy Clarke (Faculty, he/him/his)
- Leo Panda Zayas (Faculty, he/him/his)
- Karen O’Donovan (LCTP Administrative Coordinator, she/her/hers)
- Monique Wheeler (DEI Student Assistant, she/her/hers)
- Kevin Zvonarek (Undergraduate Student, he/him/his)
Research Subcommittee
- Alec Tewsley-Booth (Research Fellow)
- Laura Zichi (Undergraduate Student, she/her/hers)
- David Gerdes (Chair of the Physics Department, he/him/his)
- Vanessa Sih (Associate Chair of the Physics Department)
- Rachel Owen (DEI GSSA, she/her/hers)
- Ana Austin (Chief Administrator, she/her/hers)
*We welcome anyone to join and participate in our discussions. Meetings are open and are held biweekly. For Winter 2023, meetings are held on Fridays from 11:00-12:00 P.M. in a hybrid format starting on January 20. Please contact physics-deigssa@umich.edu about how to join the meeting.
Questions, Comments, Concerns? Feel Free to Contact Us: PhysicsDEIConnect@umich.edu