Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Logo

The Department of Physics Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiative is a department-wide call to action to combat racism, discrimination, and implicit bias in academia and our daily lives. Review the Physics departmental action plan for the EDI initiative. The EDI has 50+ members consisting of Physics students, staff, researchers, and faculty. We welcome new members year-round and participation and time commitment is flexible. If you are interested in contributing to the Physics EDI initiative:  DETAILS  /  [email protected]

For questions or to join our Slack channel, contact [email protected].

Upcoming Events

Research, Access and Success: Princeton Panel to discuss challenges and thriving in Academia
Fri, Apr 19, 2024, 11:00 am12:30 pm
Location
Jadwin Hall, PCTS seminar room 407 (4th floor)
Faculty, Staff, Grads, Postdocs, Undergrads

The Postdoc Path Podcast

The Postdoc Path Podcast is a series of informal interviews with postdoctoral researchers at the Physics Department at Princeton University. In this podcast, we discuss the postdoc experience, from the challenges of research to the joys of discovery. Each episode features a postdoc as a scientist, coworker, member of our community, and of course, as a person we want to get to know a little bit better.

Link to Spotify:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-postdoc-path

Link to Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-postdoc-path-podcast/id1647669173

logo for the Postdoc Path podcast

Zoom a Princeton Physicist (ZaPP)

The EDI group has created an outreach program called “Zoom a Princeton Physicist” (ZaPP), in which Princeton scientists (students and postdoctoral researchers) video chat with high school students to discuss their research, life as a physicist, their career path, and more. The times and topics of discussion are flexible, and questions from students (and teachers) are always welcomed and encouraged! 

If you would like to request a Zoom chat with a Princeton physicist for your class, club, or organization during the 2022-2023 school year, click here.
If you are a Princeton student or postdoc who would like to volunteer to give a talk, fill out this form.

Feel free to email Bennett Greenberg ([email protected]) with any questions about the program or if you are a student or postdoc who would like to volunteer.

Ambassadors Program

The Graduate Student Recruitment Ambassadors are a group of graduate students dedicated to supporting applicants to Princeton Physics. First and foremost, they are regional points-of-contact for any questions, comments, or concerns that arise during the application process. In addition, the Ambassadors host webinars and Q&A panels to introduce students to grad school and life as a graduate student. Ambassadors also conduct regional activities, for example region-specific webinars and office hours. Click here for details about the Ambassadors Program (including individual Ambassador profiles).

Mentorship Program

The Physics department sponsors a mentorship program -- The Princeton Physics Mentorship (PPM) -- every semester for the benefit of physics-interested and physics-concentrating undergraduates. PPM is jointly administered by postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate members of the Physics EDI Undergraduate Recruiting Working Group (URWG), the Princeton Society of Physics Students (PSPS), and Towards an Inclusive Community of Undergraduate Physicists (TiCuP). The goal of PPM is twofold: (1) deliver a personalized, long-term, and natural support system to undergraduates and (2) foster a welcoming and inclusive Physics department, ultimately leading to greater departmental representation by traditionally underrepresented groups. Click here for more details about PPM.

EDI working groups

Working Group Name Working Group Description

Broader Outreach coordinator: Bennett Greenberg

Greenberg Bennett
This group facilitates and helps organize bridging activities within our department and the broader community. The group maintains outreach and in-reach connections and advocates for building pathways between the physics department and the public. The group publicizes and promotes EDI projects, events, findings, and initiatives, both internally to the department and externally. 

Events co-coordinators:
Jennifer Bornkamp

Jennifer_Bornkamp_photo

Richard Stagaard 

Richard Stagaard

 

This group organizes department events on the topic of diversity and inclusion, curates speakers and ensures a departmental commitment to diversity for non-EDI events with respect to invited speakers and public engagement. The group publicizes and promotes EDI projects, events, findings, and initiatives, both internally to the department and externally. 
Graduate Student Matters This group aims to make the graduate program more diverse and inclusive. With a program of outreach and professional development tailored to undergraduates, we hope to make the next cohort of graduate students our most diverse ever. 
Postdoc Matters 
coordinator: Victor Rodriguez
Victor Rodriguez

Victor Rodriguez

This group aims to (1) foster a welcoming and inclusive environment, and (2) provide useful resources for postdoctoral researchers within the department in order to facilitate their professional development.
Undergraduate Matters
coordinator: Noah Luch
We strive to foster a welcoming and engaging undergraduate Physics experience that promotes diversity, provides all students, regardless of their ultimate majors, with the support and structure most conducive to academic success, and offers meaningful research opportunities across class years.
Advisory Board
coordinator: Mariangela Lisanti 
Mariangela Lisanti

 

 

 

EDI Manager
MyKella Mitchell
mykella Mitchell
 

Cultural and Affinity Groups at Princeton

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy (TEAM-UP) has spent the last two years investigating the reasons for the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in physics and has released a report with its findings. In this report, TEAM-UP has uncovered long-term systemic issues within the physics and astronomy communities that contribute to the underrepresentation of African Americans in these fields and makes important, actionable recommendations for community wide efforts to reverse this trend.

The American Physical Society (APS) Board Statement on Racial Violence: Physics flourishes best when physicists can work in an environment of safety, justice, and equity. Therefore, all of us must work vigorously against systemic racism and to overcome implicit biases. The Board of the American Physical Society believes that it is timely to reaffirm the importance of building a diverse and inclusive physics community, as expressed in the APS Joint Diversity Statement (Human Rights 08.2). The Board expresses deep concern over incidents of racially biased violence and threats of violence against people of color.