The following are statements from each of our subcommittees on their goals and projects.
Representation Committee
The goal of the Representation Subcommittee is to ensure the wellbeing of current students in the Physics Department. The COVID-19 crisis has led to financial, physical, mental, and academic problems for many individuals. A Wellness Survey has been distributed to all physics students to obtain feedback on what students need most during the winter term. This survey also includes local resources within the University of Michigan as well as Washtenaw County that may alleviate struggles related to financial and food insecurity and access to mental and physical health care. To help with long-term retention, the subcommittee is also working toward creating exit surveys for students completing their undergraduate or graduate degree in the Physics Department. Survey results will help the DEI Committee understand the concerns and needs of students in the department. This will allow the committee to better support all physics students in future projects.
Outreach Committee
The goal of the Outreach Subcommittee is to branch outside the Physics Department and provide assistance with physics education in the Southeast Michigan community. Since the summer of 2020, the Outreach subcommittee, U-M physics faculty, and graduate student instructors have been working diligently with a nearby high school, the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, to help facilitate freshman year physics classes. The aim is to provide students with one-on-one assistance opportunities and access to hands-on lab course materials. Additionally, the subcommittee is continuing to invite engaging speakers for Saturday Morning Physics lectures and expand the number of workshops available to graduate students and faculty.
Teaching Committee
The goal of the Teaching Subcommittee is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. For the 2020-21 academic year, a top priority has been to provide resource materials for professors and graduate student instructors (GSIs) to share with undergraduate students. Resource materials cover health and wellness, academics, student organizations, and the history of trailblazing physicists who have paved the way for current women and underrepresented minorities in the community. A long-term goal of the subcommittee is to make the learning process more transparent by outlining what skill sets a student receives in their physics courses and how these skills can be applied to their future careers. This project is being done in conjunction with the Curriculum Committee.
Research Committee
The goal of the Research Subcommittee is to evaluate current practices in research settings and to develop means of making the research space inclusive and equitable. For the 2020-21 academic year, the subcommittee is focusing on improving current annual progress reports for both pre-candidate and candidate doctoral students. Improvements to the written progress reports include incorporating recommendations from Rackham’s Faculty Committee on Mentoring (MORE) and feedback from students on the committee. Reviewing the current qualifying and preliminary exams is another aspect of this project. The purpose of this review is to see how these assessment tools can better serve student’s long term goals and track their progress through the program. Additional projects include making research opportunities both on and off campus more accessible to undergraduate students and developing future workshops on mentorship and lab management.
