The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive learning, teaching and working environment for all students, faculty, staff and guests. The diversity of our community is central to our success as a world-class center of teaching, learning and research.

 

We are firm in our commitment that all people have the right to be free from harassment and discrimination. To that end, any discrimination against students, faculty, or staff based on protected class identity is in opposition to our values, which are in accordance with the CU Boulder Discrimination & Harassment Policy.

 

The department recognizes that science and engineering have not traditionally been open, welcoming and accessible spaces for many people, and we are committed to increasing inclusion, diversity and equity in chemical and biological engineering education and research.

 

In service to these commitments, the department will:

  • Invite and host speakers with diverse backgrounds as part of the undergraduate curriculum and seminar series
    • Fall 2021 Update: Four out of five of the Patten Seminar Series speakers were of diverse backgrounds.
  • Integrate implicit bias and bystander intervention training for students, faculty and staff
    • Fall 2021 Update: The department organized implicit bias, inslucive teaching and cultural competency workshops for instructional and tenure-track faculty.
  • Address diversity and ethics in undergraduate and graduate coursework
  • Increase efforts to inclusively recruit and retain students, faculty and staff
    • Fall 2021 Update: Recent faculty hires include diverse, tenure-track and instructional faculty; conducted ongoing townhalls to listen to our student population; increased female and underrepresented minority student populations for our incoming graduate student class.
  • Leverage the recommendations of the department’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion committee to continuously improve the overall climate for diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels
    • Fall 2021 Update: The student-led DEI committee will analyze the results of the campus climate survey and make recommendations to the department chair to foster a more inclusive and welcoming department.

Creating a safe, welcoming and rich academic environment is an ongoing process that requires the engagement, commitment and input of all students, faculty and staff within our community.

 

Diversity and Equity Communities - Relevant to Engineering Students at CU

The Broadening Opportunities through Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) Center (CEAS)

The BOLD Center is part of the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s commitment to creating a diverse environment where all engineering students are welcome, and where students who are traditionally underrepresented in engineering—women, underrepresented minorities—are empowered to achieve their dreams. Our programs promote the recruitment, retention, and development of engineering students at CU Boulder, and equip them for success through graduation and beyond. 

BOLD-affiliated affinity groups: 

The Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC)
ALTEC is dedicated to broadening and deepening cultural understanding through innovative approaches to language learning and teaching.

Center for Inclusion and Social Change
At the Center for Inclusion and Social Change, our goal is to support all students in the exploration of all of their identities and to create a welcoming and inclusive space on campus that supports academic and personal growth.

CU Engage
CU Engage collaborates with communities, schools, and organizations to address complex public challenges.

CU Inclusive Recreation
The goal of CU Inclusive Recreation is to create a safe, accommodating, welcoming and open environment while providing accessible and respectful opportunities for all.

CU LEAD-Alliance
The CU LEAD Alliance is a unique set of academic learning communities whose students, faculty and staff are united to promote inclusive excellence. 

CU-STARS (Space)
CU-STARs (Science, Technology and Astronomy Recruits) is a University of Colorado program to support first-year students from all backgrounds interested in space.  We offer training on the telescopes at Sommers Bausch Observatory, our own large suite of portable telescopes, and “flying” at Fiske Planetarium.  

Dennis Small Cultural Center (UMC)
The DSCC exists to serve underrepresented student groups on the CU-Boulder campus by providing programmatic support and a safe space for cultural expression and community gatherings.

Engineers without Borders (Social Impact)
EWB partners with developing communities to improve their quality of life through the implementation of environmentally sustainable, equitable, and economical engineering projects. In the process of working to advance developing communities, EWB promotes the development of globally aware and internationally responsible students and professionals.

INVST
The 2-Year INVST Program offers transformative service learning for social and environmental justice. 

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement
ODECE works to put the values of CU Boulder into practice. We lead by example, partnering with other departments and units across campus to create inclusive and equitable educational opportunities for all students.

PISEC (Informal Science Volunteering)
The Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) program facilitates community partnerships with local schools, connecting CU Boulder mentors with primary and high school students, largely those of under-represented minorities (URM), to explore pathways to STEM in an engaging, welcoming environment.

Pride Office
The vision for the Pride Office is to create programming and space where LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty can come together and create a community where they feel safe, supported and able to find connections with others who identify in similar ways.

STEM Routes (Graduate School)
STEM Routes is a student organization, founded and run by traditionally under-represented and first-generation graduate students who faced the same systemic discrimination in our attempts to gain access to research and build our STEM careers. STEM Routes is our effort to serve as the mentors we wish we had.

STEMBlazers
STEMblazers inspires girls to visualize themselves in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math professions. Our long term goal is to reach 1 million girls and influence them to pursue a career in STEM. We envision a world where women are equally represented in the STEM workforce. Connect with a local chapter.

Puksta Scholars
Puksta Scholars are required to develop a project over the course of an academic year that addresses the root causes of social problems and contributes to the common good.