Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

DEIB is central to the missions of the NRT. The program focuses on recruitment and retention of scientists from a diversity of backgrounds, celebrating and learning about cultures and people, and hosting speakers who can serve as models of success to students from all backgrounds.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Resilience 

Diversity is only part of the equation. Fostering a sense of inclusion is also crucial—and a basic human need for all students.  

Inclusion is vital for the success of the Internet of Catalysis NRT program. Ensuring that all students feel included is of paramount importance to us.  We commit to fostering an academic environment that supports the success of all members of our community because diversity strengthens and enriches our research, scholarship, and teaching.

Our inclusion strategy involves concrete steps with time-bound milestones and quantitative metrics. This includes unconscious bias training, learning about experiences of scientists from a variety of backgrounds, and providing tools for successful mentorship relationships. University leadership and KU’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) strongly support these efforts.

Resilience

Graduate students struggle with many challenges, such as:

  • isolation
  • competitive environments
  • high stakes expectations
  • ambiguous goals
  • sleeplessness
  • career uncertainty
  • self-doubt and imposter syndrome
  • conflicts with advisors
  • burn-out

Emotional and stress-related problems arise from these struggles. One study found that graduate students are six times more likely to suffer from depression/anxiety than the general population. And, nearly half of PhD students could be clinically classified as depressed. This has only been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mentors have seen these struggles firsthand.

We believe that graduate school must evolve to help students not just survive but thrive. 

Our goal is to change the academic culture to be more aware, accepting, and proactive in terms of mental health and reducing the structural barriers to success. Embarking on new interdisciplinary research will likely be challenging for some students to adapt to as well. Therefore, providing graduate students with the necessary tools to be resilient is of paramount importance to our program.

Key actions include:

  • Mental health awareness: The NRT meetings foster proactive and open dialog about mental health issues before they become too overwhelming to handle.
  • Storytelling: We emphasize storytelling and require students and faculty to learn how to tell their personal stories. Sharing experiences will promote dialogue and build relationships. Learning how to tell stories improves not just professional communication, it enhances inclusion and supports mental health.
  • Academic Culture Change: Trainees and supervisors will receive training on effective mentorship, conflict and time management, and setting realistic goals and expectations.

Additional Resources for Diversity and Inclusion at KU

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