ASEE Diversity > DEIcommittee > Blog > Announcement > A New ASEE Award Opportunity

A New ASEE Award Opportunity

The CDEI Awards Subcommittee works to support the Society’s recognition of ASEE members and constituent groups who are working to meet the ASEE Vision for diversity (read the ASEE statement here.) ASEE is committed to creating and fostering environments that encourage the education, recruitment, retention, and advancements of historically under-represented segments of society. The CDEI’s strategic goals operationalize the ASEE vision and set the stage for engaging and encouraging ASEE members in actionable and informative ways.

 

The Commission for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sponsors two awards to publicly recognize ASEE members and groups that are working to achieve ASEE’s vision for diversity and inclusion through scholarly research and best practices. Beginning in 2015, with the ASEE Year of Action on Diversity, research that broadens inclusive participation from across all ASEE divisions and sections is recognized by the ASEE Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion paper award. In 2020, the ASEE Constituent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award was organized to honor and promote actions by groups of ASEE constituents, including divisions, councils, zones, regions, committees, and ad-hoc groups, that have led to measurable increases in inclusivity within ASEE, or in engineering education general.

 

The CDEI Awards Subcommittee is responsible for the administration of these two awards. The subcommittee prepares the nominations processes annually and recruits reviewers. Working with the CDEI Communications Subcommittee, the Awards Subcommittee may provide written information and links to ASEE division and section chairs, host informational programming about the awards, and provide feedback to the whole of CDEI and ASEE regarding constituent and author efforts towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our aim mirrors that of the CDEI which is to celebrate and share achievements that increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering in order to encourage more diversity in engineering practices, funding, research, recruiting, and hiring. Please contact CDEI (cdeichairs@asee.org) if you’re interested in joining CDEI or supporting the Awards Subcommittee, or join our mailing list.

 

ASEE Constituent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award

After the ASEE Year of Action on Diversity, ASEE constituents mobilized, revising by-laws, creating new recognition awards, developing initiatives, participating in DEI programming from ASEE and beyond, and more! The new ASEE Constituent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award and its nomination process help to capture, share, and promote these actions taken by ASEE constituents that support ASEE’s vision for diversity. Please see the CDEI website and the ASEE Awards website for more information about the award.

 

Who can be nominated, and how?

 

All ASEE constituent groups are eligible to be nominated. An ASEE constituent group is defined broadly and includes, but is not limited to, ASEE divisions, councils, zones, regions, committees, and ad hoc groups (not individuals). Nominations should be made using the ASEE awards-nomination process here.

 

Nominations are due on the ASEE awards timeline. For the 2021 award, nominations are due on January 15, 2021.

Nominations require documentation including:

  1. Self-described metrics that show an impact on increasing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion within their constituency;
  2. Actions taken that contributed to that growth;
  3. A strategic plan or steps for continued improvement within the constituency.
  4. A fifty-word citation suitable for publication and reading at the award ceremony.
  5. Up to five letters of support from constituents addressing how their personal/professional, societal (ASEE), or institutional experience has been affected by the actions of the ASEE constituent group.

 

An Awards Selection Committee will evaluate the nominations against the rubric. Finalists will be notified by March 15 and asked to submit a video highlighting their activities and results which will also be evaluated by the Award Selection Committee to compose a summary evaluation of the nomination packet and video (video rubric). The CDEI will post and share all of the finalists’ videos on the CDEI YouTube channel and share them on the ASEE TV during the conference. The winner will be announced at the ASEE conference in June of 2021.

 

Other award opportunities available

 

Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion paper award

In addition to the Constituent award, the CDEI also sponsors the Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion paper award. The CDEI Awards Subcommittee administers this award. Papers that will be presented in any 2021 ASEE National Conference technical session AND papers published within any section/zone conference proceedings between the dates of May 9th, 2020 to May 1st, 2021, are eligible. All nominations must be submitted to the ASEE Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion via the 2021 Nomination Form** by 11:59 PM ET on Monday, April 26, 2021. Award notifications will be sent by Monday, May 17, 2021. Please see the CDEI Awards webpage for more information.

 

ASEE Awards

 

In addition to these CDEI awards, ASEE members are encouraged to explore and share any ways that bring attention and action to diversity, equity, and inclusion and may contribute to an award-worthy nomination. ASEE sponsors a variety of awards outside of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but coinciding DEI components could augment a candidate’s qualification for many of them. Even nominations for awards without an explicit diversity, equity, or inclusion focus might benefit nominees who demonstrate a DEI mindset in their example of excellence.

 

ASEE National Outstanding Teacher Award

 

For instance, the ASEE National Outstanding Teacher Award seeks to recognize nominees who ”demonstrate an intense subject area interest & enthusiasm and enhance the learning process to fully motivate students.” What does it mean to fully motivate students? Perhaps it is necessary to understand what would motivate students and incorporate that into instruction–perhaps it would require culturally responsive teaching. By achieving the mark of fully motivating students, this award’s nominees may also choose to make a case about their cultural responsiveness.

 

Benjamin Garver Lamme Award

 

A qualification for the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award includes “Excellence in teaching and ability to inspire students to high levels of accomplishment.”  Considering an array of accomplishments could provide a shift in how the Society values engineering educators. Moving towards non-academic or non-monetary indicators including social impact, environmental justice, or disruptive technologies might allow nominees to showcase their efforts towards DEI and present an even stronger nomination package.

 

Other DEI connections in ASEE Awards

 

  1.  National Engineering Technology Teaching Award (DEI connection: Support social and economic development)
  2. Frederick J. Berger Award (DEI opportunity: Outstanding curricular development, course development, and updating; Selecting, retaining and developing outstanding faculty)
  3. And many more.

 

Remember to nominate others and ask others to nominate you!

 

We want to thank the members of the 2020-2021 CDEI Awards Subcommittee for their commitment:

Mahesh Aggarwal Karin Jensen (Co-Chair) Eric Specking
Lynn Albers Katey Shirey (Co-Chair) Mitchell Springer
Jena Asgarpoor Nancy Lape Beena Sukumaran
Ray Bachnak Ben Lutz Cecelia Wigal
Becky Bates Alex Mejia Nadir Yilmaz
Colleen Bronner Alexa Rihana Abdallah Kate Youmans
Kenya Crosson Madeleine Jennings Robin Fowler
Jeanne Sanders

 

Getting involved with CDEI

 

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