Power Differentials in Engineering in Academia: Existence, Impact, Awareness, and Mitigation
Title: Power Differentials in Engineering in Academia: Existence, Impact, Awareness, and Mitigation
When: November 17, 2023 2:00 – 3:30 PM (Eastern Time)
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Facilitators: Yannis Yortsos, PhD and Ken Bonner
Abstract
Power differentials in engineering, and more generally in STEM, in academia are ubiquitous and enduring both across different achievement strata and among students as well. The goal of this session is to address the issues, discuss the potential impact on belonging and thriving, provide solutions that aim to emphasize excellence over elitism, and help create trustworthy engineers.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand and explore power differentials in engineering in academia.
- Explore their potential for creating environments of elitism and exclusiveness and their potential negative impact on students and faculty.
- Learn of the associated ethical challenges and specific ways to mitigate or eliminate their impact.
Learning Outcomes:
- Attendees will be able to self-reflect on how power differentials in academia affected them in the past and how they are a part of academia today.
- The mitigation strategies discussed will empower Deans and other allies to protect and support a culture of inclusion.
Facilitators
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Yannis C. Yortsos, Ph.D., is the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Zohrab Kaprielian Dean’s Chair in Engineering. As dean, Yortsos articulated in 2008 the concept of Engineering+, positioning engineering as the enabling discipline of our times, and has been actively engaged in the effort to “change the conversation about engineering”. In 2015, he spearheaded an engineering diversity initiative, now adopted by more than 250 engineering schools nationwide. Yortsos was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008 and is the Editor-in-Chief of the new NASEM journal PNAS Nexus. In 2022, he received along with three colleagues, the Gordon Prize of the NAE for creating the Grand Challenges Scholars Program in 2009. He also won, along with his USC colleagues, a Los Angeles area Emmy for the documentary “Lives not Grades”, chronicling a USC class on Engineering Innovation for Global Crises. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. |
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Ken A. Bonner, is the Associate Dean for Inclusion and Diversity Initiatives & Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. As associate dean, Bonner is a diversity leader in academia known for cultivating inclusive workforces utilizing a vast range of dynamic skills to build awareness and action-oriented educational cultures for historically disadvantage populations in STEM disciplines. Equipped with an impressive blend of knowledge and experience, Bonner oversees DEI initiatives for faculty, staff and students and excels in the niche intersections of STEM, Culture Transformation, Change Management, Operations, and Fundraising. LinkedIn |
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