Page under construction. [Last updated: Fall 2020.]
Recommendation
Progress
1
Survey and town hall to understand current undergraduate perspectives on advising
2
Development of written advising guidelines and clear, enforceable policies
3
Faculty advising training with a focus on helping students from URM and diverse backgrounds
4
Compensation for outstanding mentors of URM students (faculty and TAs)
5
Trainings for all TAs (graduate and undergraduate) based on Spring 2020 8.02 mentorship training
6
Faculty training to improve classroom interactions with students (especially URM students)
7
Proactive check-ins by faculty or advisors for students struggling in class
8
Regular surveys to gather data on URM student retention rate
9
Partnership with OME to reach URM students (particularly underclassmen) at MIT
10
Career events that emphasize physics careers beyond academia
In Summer 2020, the Physics Department appointed a faculty liaison to CAPD, and SPS and PGSC appointed 2 students each to a non-academic careers task force
11
Department-organized meetups for URM, LGBTQ+, and FGLI students
12
Event for URM students during graduate open house
13
Centralized and regularly updated database of UROPs
14
Event series to help students navigate grad school applications and academia
15
Regular anonymized evaluations of academic advisors
16
Expansion of mentorship structures outside academic advising
17
Creating a more open and welcoming classroom environment
18
Normalizing asking for help, academic and otherwise
19
Outreach efforts in the Boston area for high school students
20
Exploratory seminar classes for underclassmen
21
Increased diversity among 8.01 and 8.02 TAs
22
Outreach initiative to HBCUs, PBIs, and HSIs
23
Accountable and transparent hiring commitments
24
Internal structure to ensure that UROPs are valuable experiences for students
25
Structured summer programs to boost URM involvement in research