Past Programs

Black Women United Presents
Sister:Resisters - Black Women's Mentoring Toolkit 

February 16, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 pm, Zoom
With Janie Victoria Ward, PhD and Tracy L. Robinson-Wood, PhD

Building upon the initiative to support a peer network and increase advancement of Black women faculty members on the UMass Amherst campus, the UMass ADVANCE Mutual Mentoring Group Black Women United will host three online sessions this fall and early spring titled Sister:Resisters that focus on mentoring Black women.

For more information about Black Women United contact Cheryl Swanier at @email.

Equity for Women in Science: Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Advancement

March 5, 2024, from 11:30 - 1:00 pm, Lederle, Room A112
With Cassidy R. Sugimoto, Professor and Tom and Marie Patton School Chair in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology

This is event is co-sponsored by the Computational Social Science Institute and the Institute for Social Science Research.

UMass ADVANCE Annual Distinguished Lecture and Reception

March 27, 2024, from 4:00-6:00 pm, Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
With Danielle R. Holley, President of Mount Holyoke College and Professor of Politics

Intersectional Approaches to Disrupting Ableism

April 11, 2024, from 11:30 - 1:00 pm, Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
With Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)

Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D. is a disability activist, a two-time Paralympian, Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living. Dr. Forber-Pratt serves as the Chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research which exists to promote coordination and collaboration among federal departments and agencies conducting disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research programs. As a researcher, her primary area of work relates to disability identity development. As a wheelchair-user for over 35 years, Dr. Forber-Pratt is nationally and internationally recognized as a disability leader and mentor. She was a White House Champion of Change in 2013 and the American Psychological Association awarded her the 2020 Citizen Psychologist Award for Advancing Disability as a Human Rights and Social Justice Issue Award.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, UMass Allies for Illness and Disability Access, and the Institute for Social Science Research.

Federal Funding Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

April 12, 2024, from 11:30 - 1:00 pm, Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
With Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)

Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D. is a disability activist, a two-time Paralympian, Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living. Dr. Forber-Pratt serves as the Chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research which exists to promote coordination and collaboration among federal departments and agencies conducting disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research programs. As a researcher, her primary area of work relates to disability identity development. As a wheelchair-user for over 35 years, Dr. Forber-Pratt is nationally and internationally recognized as a disability leader and mentor. She was a White House Champion of Change in 2013 and the American Psychological Association awarded her the 2020 Citizen Psychologist Award for Advancing Disability as a Human Rights and Social Justice Issue Award.

This workshop is co-sponsored by Office of Research and Engagement and the Institute for Social Science Research.

Mutual Mentoring Grants Information Session

February 7, 2023, from 10:00-11:00pm, Zoom
With Donna Baron, Program Manager, ADVANCE and Leyla Keough-Hameed, Director of Faculty Development Office of Faculty Development

Hosted by UMass ADVANCE and the Office of Faculty Development

The Mutual Mentoring Grant Information Session will provide an overview of grant priorities, requirements, and submission guidelines for both the UMass ADVANCE Mutual Mentoring Grant Program (no longer active) and the Office of Faculty Development Mutual Mentoring Grant Program. Both programs provide funding to help faculty develop mutual mentoring networks. 

Faculty Mentoring Practices & Plans (National Webinar)

February 16, 2023, from 4:00-5:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra & James Allan, UMass Amherst

Mentoring faculty colleagues effectively is key to ensuring retention, a good departmental climate, and faculty success. This webinar identifies effective strategies for mentoring colleagues including building networks and collegial relationships, establishing effective communication, and creating inclusive, supportive departments. This session covers UMass ADVANCE tools and templates for faculty mentoring plans, mentoring strategies, and inclusive departmental practices.

Equity Minded Workload Reform, Part 2 - Policies

February 24, 2023, from 10:00-12:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst 

VIEW RECORDING

Many faculty members report feeling that workload in their department is unfairly distributed; women and faculty of color may be asked to carry out more than their share of work. This session provides clear, evidence-based practices to create better, fairer workloads for faculty through changing the “choice architecture” for the division of labor in departments. We discuss a variety of approaches to workload equity such as rotating time-intensive roles, reducing and restructuring committees, creating policies for service and teaching assignments, using benchmarks by rank, or developing crediting systems that can help departments create fairer workload for all faculty. This session follows a session in November (Part 1) and focuses on organizational policies and practices that can be adopted to proactively design more equitable workloads and reward systems.

LGBTQ+ Faculty in STEM: Policies to Support Success and Inclusion

March 7, 2023, from 4:00-5:30pm, Zoom
With Ramón Barthelemy, University of Utah

Queer civil rights in the USA have been hard won from direct activism and organization of a diverse coalition of people, including trans women and men, People of Color, and members of the LGBT+ community more broadly. This talk will explore this history and take an in-depth look at the literature on LGBT+ students, faculty, and people in STEM spaces. Through this conversation central themes from this work will emerge, including the challenges of heteronormativity, exclusionary behavior, and harassment. The talk will end with a discussion of possible policy solutions and approaches to support the success of LGBT+ peoples in STEM. 

Launching New Research Projects & Teams (Within or Across Disciplines)

March 21, 2023, from 2:00-3:30pm, W. E. B. DuBois Library, Room 2601

Hosted by the Office of Faculty Development in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, the Institute for Social Science Research, and UMass ADVANCE

Are you launching a new research project or rebooting an existing one? Whether it’s your first time leading a project or you are scaling up an existing one, this panel of faculty from across campus will offer valuable tips and share their experiences on managing projects and inspiring teams. Facilitated by Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement & Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Laura Vandenberg, the goal of panel discussion is to help you preemptively navigate potential obstacles building your project and team (within or across disciplines, in person or online), answer questions you have, and connect you with fellow colleagues and campus resources that can support your endeavor. Coffee and pastries will be served.

Facilitator: Laura Vandenberg, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement & Professor of Environmental Health Sciences

Panelists:
Nilanjana Buju Dasgupta, Provost Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Director, Institute of Diversity Sciences
Laura Doyle, Professor of English and Chancellor’s Leadership Fellow working on supporting and developing interdisciplinarity at UMass
Shannon Roberts, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Kevin Young, Associate Professor, Dept. of Economics

ADVANCE Annual Distinguished Lecture, "Working in Black and White in the Knowledge Economy"

March 28, 2023, at 4:00pm, Great Hall of the Old Chapel
With Enobong (Anna) Branch, professor of sociology, and senior vice president for equity at Rutgers University. Anna was the founding PI of UMass ADVANCE and served as the first associate chancellor for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at UMass Amherst.

The knowledge economy holds both promise and peril, with every industrial shift in America, there have been winners and losers. Greater representation of underrepresented minorities and women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields is projected as the solution to persistent inequality, and education is heralded as the key to an economically stable future. Yet, increasingly Americans are disillusioned as the gap between their aspirations and reality grows. This talk reflects on the limits of individual effort in shifting longstanding, entrenched inequality. Based on Work in Black and White: Striving for the American Dream, recently coauthored by Branch, this talk is an invitation to grapple with meritocratic ideals and imagine what a just racial future would require.

Equitable Collaboration Practices (National Webinar)

April 4, 2023, from 4:00-5:00pm, Zoom
With Ethel Mickey, California State University, San Bernardino, and Jennifer Normanly, UMass ADVANCE, and Laurel Smith-Doerr, UMass ADVANCE

Research collaboration is essential in the conduct of science, but many collaborations reflect inequitable practices that undermine the success of the project. In this interactive webinar, we describe how to build collaborations that are transparent, equitable, and allow for creative growth through clear communication and respect for all contributions. This session covers UMass ADVANCE tools and checklists for approaches to creating and crediting equitable research collaboration.

Equitable Collaboration Practices (for Heads and Chairs with LEAD+)

April 28, 2023, from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Jennifer Normanly and Laurel Smith-Doerr, UMass ADVANCE

Research collaboration is essential in the conduct of science, but many collaborations reflect inequitable practices that undermine the success of the project. In this interactive webinar, we describe how to build collaborations that are transparent, equitable, and allow for creative growth through clear communication and respect for all contributions. This session covers UMass ADVANCE tools and checklists for approaches to creating and crediting equitable research collaboration.

Departmental Mentoring Plans

May 5, 2023 from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass ADVANCE and Angela de Oliveira, Office of Faculty Development

This workshop is aimed at faculty members and Chairs/Heads developing or revising departmental mentoring plans. The session will begin with a short presentation of principles to keep in mind in developing mentoring plans, as well as some example departmental mentoring plans. Much of the session will be devoted to workshopping elements of the mentoring plan, so that attendees leave the 90-minute workshop with a draft or revised mentoring plan that you can share with colleagues. We will answer the following questions: What are the best practices in departmental mentoring that lead to retaining faculty and creating positive departmental cultures? How do departmental mentoring plans differ from individualized mentoring plans? What are some concrete strategies that large, medium-sized, and small departments can draw upon in developing departmental mentoring plans?

This workshop is presented in collaboration with the Office of Faculty Development

Intergroup Dialogue (IDG) Facilitator Training

September 16, 23, 30, and October 7, 14, 2022, from 1:00-4:00pm,Zoom
With Kristie Ford, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Consultant and Charles Behling, University of Michigan (retired)

The IDG Facilitator workshops are by invitation for previous participants of IDG training.

IGD is a nationally recognized program developed at the University of Michigan in the 1980s to address racial tensions and develop competencies around inter- and intra-group relations, conflict, and social justice across a range of social identities. IGD pedagogy helps to foster shared understanding, learning, and engagement in social justice issues, through listening and talking across social and cultural divides. It has the potential to connect people, creating meaningful collaborative communities in hopes of creating a more equitable and inclusive University.

These train-the-trainer sessions are led by Dr. Kristie Ford, Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Professor of Sociology, Washington & Lee University and Dr. Charles Behling, Academic Director of The Program on Intergroup Relations (Retired), University of Michigan, and are for faculty who participated in IDG training in spring 2022. 

These workshops are presented in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Provost’s Office, and the Deans of the Colleges of Engineering, Information and Computer Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences.

Inclusion Through Departments and Collaboration
@email - Faculty Panel

September 13, 2022 from 1:00-2:30pm, Campus Center 165 (In person)
With Ina Ganguli, Associate Professor of Economics, Director of the UMass Amherst Computational Social Science Institute, and former UMass ADVANCE Faculty Fellow and Laurel Smith-Doerr, Professor of Sociology, PI for UMass ADVANCE, and CSSI affiliate

Experts on equitable collaboration will discuss their research and experience related to faculty inclusion and belonging. This session will be interactive, with discussion of practices, tools, and opportunities to discuss ideas for faculty collaborations across units at UMass.

This session is presented in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Computational Social Science Institute.

Equitable Faculty Evaluation Practices and Outcomes: An Argument for Change 

September 28, 2022, 4:00 – 5:30pm, Zoom
With Beth Mitchneck, Professor Emerita in the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona 

We conduct faculty evaluations generally the same way we did 20 years ago even though the academy has changed in dramatic ways and has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. This interactive workshop, presented by Beth Mitchneck, reviews research on how embedded biases may impact the outcomes of evaluation process and argues for making changes in the metrics and processes that we use. The outcomes will be more equitable. The workshop focuses on 1) the research on how we practice faculty evaluation and an assessment of our standard metrics; and 2) tools to conduct equitable evaluations across gender, race, rank, subdiscipline, and discipline. Using case study analysis, the presentation includes concrete tools for faculty and administrators to consider their own role in faculty evaluation and how to provide leadership to one’s department on conducting equitable evaluations.  

Mitchneck is Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona and a long-time faculty success advocate and practitioner and former NSF Program Officer for ADVANCE. 

This workshop is organized by UMass ADVANCE and co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development.

Equity Minded Workload Reform, Part 1 – Assessing Workload Challenges

October 7, 2022, from 10:00-12:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

Many faculty members report feeling that workload in their department is unfairly distributed; women and faculty of color may be asked to carry out more than their share of work. This session provides clear, evidence-based practices to create better, fairer workloads for faculty through changing the “choice architecture” for the division of labor in departments. For example, dashboards with transparent displays of work activity data ensure that faculty understand performance expectations, and department Chairs and Heads are not making assignments in the dark. This session will be followed in February by a session (Part 2) that focuses on organizational policies and practices that can be adopted to proactively design more equitable workloads and reward systems.

Equitable Decision-Making (National Webinar)

October 17, 2022, from 4:00-5:00pm, Zoom
With Laurel Smith-Doerr and James Allan, UMass ADVANCE

Making decisions fairly and equitably has an enormous impact on departmental climate as well as career outcomes for faculty.  This interactive webinar provides strategies for how departments can set the stage for equity in shared decision-making, in ways that lead to greater transparency and inclusive decisions that do not simply reflect the loudest voices. This session covers UMass ADVANCE tools and checklists for approaches to equitable shared decision-making and faculty governance.

The Five-R Model for Pandemic Faculty Inclusion (National Webinar)

November 16, 2022, from 4:00-5:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst ADVANCE and Dessie Clark, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WISELI

VIEW RECORDING

The COVID-19 Pandemic upended faculty careers and continues to reshape faculty evaluation and inclusion. In this interactive webinar, we introduce our award-winning 5-R Model for pandemic inclusion, identifying the key adjustments universities should make for equitable outcomes. This session covers UMass ADVANCE tools and templates for pandemic statement writing, equitable faculty evaluation, and mentoring for pandemic recovery.

Mentoring for Pandemic Recovery for Heads/Chairs (With LEAD+)

December 2, 2023, from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra & Sergio Breña, UMass Amherst

This session is open to Heads and Chairs

This session identifies strategies that Heads and Chairs can use to help ensure retention, given the challenges created by the pandemic. This session will identify concrete approaches for Heads and Chairs to use in mentoring colleagues, and will also use small group discussion to collaboratively develop strategies that work for various kinds of departments.

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Office of Faculty Development's LEAD+ Program

Mentoring for Pandemic Recovery for Faculty

December 13, 2022, from 10:30-12:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra & Sergio Breña, UMass Amherst

VIEW RECORDING

This session identifies strategies that faculty colleagues and members of Personnel Committees can use to help ensure retention, given the challenges created by the pandemic. This session will identify concrete approaches for colleagues to use in mentoring their peers, and will also use small group discussion to collaboratively develop strategies that work for various kinds of departments.

This workshop is cosponsored by the Office of Faculty Development

On the Line: Equity in Tenure and Promotion 

September 14, 2021, from 1:00 - 2:30pm, Zoom 
With AWED Theater Company, Florida International University

Please join UMass ADVANCE and AWED Theater Company for an interactive performance and workshop on mitigating bias and promoting equity in tenure and promotion practices.  

On the Line is a performance and workshop focused on a living case study that interactively engages participants in ways they can mitigate bias and promote equity in tenure and promotion practices. In the first half of the workshop, professional actors portray a subtle and complex scenario involving a department's executive committee formally discussing whether one of their junior colleagues should be awarded tenure. Guided by a facilitator, post-show interaction allows audiences to unpack issues and practice interventions. 

Mentoring Faculty Colleagues (With LEAD+ for Heads and Chairs) 

September 17, 2021, from 12:30 - 2:00pm, Zoom 
With Joya Misra and Jennifer Normanly, UMass Amherst

This session identifies a number of effective mentoring strategies that Chairs and Heads can use that help ensure retention, a good departmental climate, and faculty success. This session will identify concrete approaches for Chairs and Heads to use in mentoring colleagues, and also use small group discussion to collaboratively develop strategies that work for different kinds of departments. 

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Office of Faculty Development's LEAD+ Program. 

Evaluating Pandemic Impact Statements for AFR, Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure for members of Personnel Committees and Heads and Chairs

This workshop is being offered twice:

September 23, 2021, from 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom 
September 24, 2021, from 10:00-11:30 pm, Zoom 
With James Allan and Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide members of Personnel Committees and Heads and Chairs an opportunity to consider how to take pandemic impact statements into account when assessing AFRs and reappointment, tenure, and promotion cases.  The session will include presentation, case studies, and small group discussion to collectively identify strategies for assessing statements fairly.  

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements for Assistant Professors 

September 29, 2021, from 10:00-11:00, Zoom 
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements for Lecturers

September 30, 2021 from 1:00-2:00, Zoom 
With Ethel Mickey, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements for All Faculty 

October 1, 2021 from 2:00-3:00, Zoom 
With Sergio Breña, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Equity Minded Workload Reform, Part 1 - Dashboards 

November 5, 2021, from 10:00-12:00, Zoom 
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst 

Many faculty members report feeling that workload in their department is unfairly distributed; women and faculty of color may be asked to carry out more than their share of work. This session provides clear, evidence-based practices to create better, fairer workloads for faculty through changing the “choice architecture” for the division of labor in departments.  For example, dashboards with transparent displays of work activity data ensure that faculty understand performance expectations, and department Chairs and Heads are not making assignments in the dark. This session will be followed in February by a session (Part 2) that focuses on organizational policies and practices that can be adopted to proactively design more equitable workloads and reward systems. 

Mentoring Faculty Colleagues  

December 9 & 10, 2021, from 10:00-12:30, Zoom 
With Joya Misra and Karen Whelen-Berry, UMass Amherst

Mentoring faculty colleagues effectively is key to ensuring retention, a good departmental climate, and faculty success. In this two-day workshop, based on the National Research Mentoring Network curriculum, we will identify effective strategies for mentoring colleagues through a series of active learning exercises. The training addresses establishing effective communication, working through issues of equity and inclusion, fostering self-efficacy, and promoting balance and networks. 

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements for Lecturers and Research Faculty

December 14, 2021 from 12:00-1:00pm, Zoom 
With Ethel Mickey, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Collaborative Leadership

January 20, 2022 from 12:30-3:30, Zoom
With Manya Whitaker, Colorado College

This workshop is designed for faculty hoping to expand their understanding of shared governance and learn how to implement collaborative governing practices. While useful for everyone, it should be particularly useful for chairs, heads, associate chairs, members of personnel committees.  Participants will engage in a 3-hour virtual workshop during which we will review the prerequisites for shared governance, explore shared governance models, and practice strategies for shared decision-making. Through a combination of presentation, case studies, role play, and small group dialogue, we will collectively develop a tool for shared decision-making that can be adapted for unique departmental contexts.

Dr. Manya Whitaker is an Associate Professor and Chair of Education at Colorado College where she also directs the faculty development center. She is a developmental educational psychologist with expertise in social and political issues in education. Her research on the stability of teachers’ diversity-related belief systems across time and settings has generated multiple publications including Schooling Multicultural Teachers: A Guide for Program Assessment and Professional Development, Learning from the Inside-Out: Child Development and School Choice and Counter Narratives from Women of Color Academics.  Her forthcoming book is Public School Equity: Educational Leadership for Justice.

Mutual Mentoring Grant Information Session

February 02, 2022 from 12:00-1:00pm, Zoom
With Donna Baron and Wendy Varner

The Mutual Mentoring Grant Information Session will provide an overview of grant priorities, requirements, and submission guidelines for both the UMass ADVANCE Mutual Mentoring Grant Program and the Office of Faculty Development Mutual Mentoring Grant Program. Both programs provide funding to help faculty develop mutual mentoring networks.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend this session to learn more about the programs, the application process, and ask questions.

This workshop is presented in collaboration with the Office of Faculty Development - Faculty Diversity

Setting the Stage for Equity in Department Decision-Making (LEAD+)

February 4, 2022 from 12:30-2:00, Zoom
With Laurel Smith-Doerr and Ethel Mickey, UMass Amherst

Making decisions fairly and equitably has an enormous impact on departmental climate. This 90-minute workshop will utilize data-driven case studies to provide faculty members with ideas of best practices for how their departments can make changes to how decisions are made, in ways that will lead to greater transparency and equity and decisions that do not simply reflect the loudest voices. 

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Office of Faculty Development's LEAD+ and Academic Personnel.   

Setting the Stage for Equity in Department Decision-Making

February 11, 2022 from 12:30-2:00, Zoom
With Laurel Smith-Doerr and Ethel Mickey, UMass Amherst

Making decisions fairly and equitably has an enormous impact on departmental climate. This 90-minute workshop will utilize data-driven case studies to provide faculty members with ideas of best practices for how their departments can make changes to how decisions are made, in ways that will lead to greater transparency and equity and decisions that do not simply reflect the loudest voices.   

Equity Minded Workload Reform, Part 2 (Policies)

February 18, 2022 from 10:00-12:00pm, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

Many faculty members report feeling that workload in their department is unfairly distributed; women and faculty of color may be asked to carry out more than their share of work. This session provides clear, evidence-based practices to create better, fairer workloads for faculty through changing the “choice architecture” for the division of labor in departments.  We will discuss a variety of workload systems such as rotation of time-intensive roles, performance benchmarks by rank, or differentiated workload that can help departments create fairer workload for all faculty. This session follows on a session in November (Part 1) and focuses on organizational policies and practices that can be adopted to proactively design more equitable workloads and reward systems.

Identify Your Needs & Expand Your Mentoring Network

March 1, 2022 from 1:00-2:30, Zoom
With Michelle Budig, UMass Amherst

In every stage of your academic career, your needs for mentoring change. Clarifying your current needs and mapping a diverse array of mentors to meet them are keys to your academic success and well-being.  As we continue to adapt to work and life disruptions, it is important to ensure that you are connected to mentors whose expertise matches your development goals.  At this session you will clarify your current career goals and challenges, develop an enriched map of your mentoring network, and create strategies for expanding this network. 

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Office of Faculty Development - Faculty Diversity

Annual Distinguished Lecture
"The Hierarchy of Knowledge in Machine Learning and Its Consequences"

March 22, 2022 from 4:00-6:00pm, Zoom
With Dr. Timnit Gebru, Founder and Executive Director of Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR) and co-founder of Black in AI

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements (Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion): For Assistant Professors

April 6, 2022 from 10:00-11:00am, Zoom
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Writing Pandemic Impact Statements (Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion): For all Faculty Members

April 8, 2022 from 1:00-2:00pm, Zoom
With Sergio Breña, UMass Amherst

This workshop will provide faculty members with templates about how to write their pandemic impact statements and give them time to write their own statement and run their statement by colleagues in break out rooms. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Associate Provost of Equity and Inclusion - Faculty Diversity

Panel Discussion on the Possibilities (and Challenges) of Social Scientists Leading Large Interdisciplinary Collaborations

April 27, 2022 from 4:00-5:30pm, Zoom
With Jennifer Lundquist Professor of Sociology & Senior Associate Dean for Research, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences (presider) and Panelists:

• Carolina Aragón, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Ina Ganguli, Associate Professor of Economics & Co-Director of the UMass Amherst Computational Social Science Institute
• Laurel Smith-Doerr, Professor of Sociology & PI for the UMass ADVANCE Program
• Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Communication, Computer Science, and Public Policy, and Director of the UMass Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure

Interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming more common across all fields. Typically, social and behavioral scientists and humanities scholars have been the ‘trailing’ disciplines on large funded collaborations led by natural scientists and engineers. Faculty equity in interdisciplinary collaboration by discipline and by gender, race, and rank makes for a better project, but can be hard to achieve. This panel of researchers with experience on interdisciplinary projects will discuss the possibilities (and challenges) of equitable social science-led interdisciplinary collaborations, from different viewpoints by field and rank.

Why now?

Now is a key time for social science led interdisciplinary collaboration as large amounts of new external funding from NSF, NIH and other federal and foundation funders are being allocated to support research aimed at solving hard societal problems, including equity and inclusion.

Why?

Social sciences have the tools to understand grand societal challenges, and can especially provide better ways of understanding and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in research and education. Receiving large amounts of resources to support the work of social science faculty and students doesn’t sound like a bad thing, either.

This event is co-sponsored by the the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UMass ADVANCE, Computational Social Science Institute, and Institute for Social Science Research at UMass Amherst

Intergroup Dialogue Workshop for Faculty

May 31, 2022 and June 1, 2022 from 8:30am-4:30pm, Amherst Room, Campus Center, 10th Floor
With Dr. Kristie Ford, Washington & Lee University and Dr. Charles Behling, University of Michigan (retired)

Are you a faculty member who is invested in learning ways to help create deeper and more productive conversations about race and diversity on campus?

IGD is a nationally recognized program developed at the University of Michigan in the 1980s to address racial tensions and develop competencies around inter- and intra-group relations, conflict, and social justice across a range of social identities. IGD pedagogy helps to foster shared understanding, learning, and engagement in social justice issues, through listening and talking across social and cultural divides. It has the potential to connect people, creating meaningful collaborative communities in hopes of creating a more equitable and inclusive University.

This workshop, led by Dr. Kristie Ford (Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Professor of Sociology, Washington & Lee University) and Dr. Charles Behling (Academic Director of The Program on Intergroup Relations (Retired), University of Michigan), aims to engage faculty who are committed to promoting social justice and addressing marginalization based on social identities. The workshop is both theoretical and experiential – emphasizing learning by doing. 

Due to the cumulative nature of this workshop, participants must be able to attend both days of the workshop.
 

Intergroup Dialogue Workshop for STEM Heads, Chairs and Deans

June 2, 2022 and June 3, 2022 from 8:30am-4:30pm, Amherst Room, Campus Center, 10th Floor
With Dr. Kristie Ford, Washington & Lee University and Dr. Charles Behling, University of Michigan (retired)

Are you a faculty member who is invested in learning ways to help create deeper and more productive conversations about race and diversity on campus?

IGD is a nationally recognized program developed at the University of Michigan in the 1980s to address racial tensions and develop competencies around inter- and intra-group relations, conflict, and social justice across a range of social identities. IGD pedagogy helps to foster shared understanding, learning, and engagement in social justice issues, through listening and talking across social and cultural divides. It has the potential to connect people, creating meaningful collaborative communities in hopes of creating a more equitable and inclusive University.

This workshop, led by Dr. Kristie Ford (Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Professor of Sociology, Washington & Lee University) and Dr. Charles Behling (Academic Director of The Program on Intergroup Relations (Retired), University of Michigan), aims to engage faculty who are committed to promoting social justice and addressing marginalization based on social identities. The workshop is both theoretical and experiential – emphasizing learning by doing. 

Due to the cumulative nature of this workshop, participants must be able to attend both days of the workshop.

Documenting Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Faculty Careers

September 3, 2020 from 1:00-2:00pm, Zoom    
With Amel Ahmed, James Allan, Michelle Budig, Laurel Smith-Doerr and Eve Weinbaum (UMass Amherst)

Faculty work has been impacted by COVID-19 in a variety of ways, including moving classes online, and having research programs abruptly interrupted. It is likely that this impact will be felt more powerfully by faculty doing life-saving work that takes them away from more traditional kinds of faculty productivity. Early studies show greater impacts on women, faculty with primary caregiving responsibilities, along with Black, Indigenous and Latinx faculty who are supporting the health of their communities in this time. This workshop will cover how faculty can document COVID-19 impacts on their Annual Faculty Review (AFR), or through impact statements about the COVID-19 pandemic for their personnel cases. This session will also address guidance to Personnel Committees and external letter writers, and equity-minded approaches for addressing the impact of COVID-19.

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Provost's Office, Office of Faculty Development, and the MA Society of Professors.

Strategies and Tools for Managing Effective Collaborations

September 9, 2020 from 9:30 - 11:00am, Zoom
With Martina Nieswandt and Ian Raphael (UMass Amherst)

In this interactive webinar we will discuss key strategies for developing a culture of collaboration that is built on common values and goals; embraces trust, transparency, creativity, and a safe and equitable environment for all team members; and allows for collective and personal growth. Building on such framing principles, we will explore a variety of tools that support collaborative teams during their work processes and finish with a first attempt creating a checklist for successful collaborations.

This workshop is presented in partnership with UMass Research and Engagement and the Office of Faculty Development.

Interdisciplinary Research, Equitable Teaming, and Collaboration Best Practices

September 14, 2020 from12:30-2pm
With Dessie Clark and Karen Whelan Berry (UMass Amherst)

Scholarly work and research have become increasingly collaborative. Effective teamwork and collaboration are essential for projects to succeed. This workshop will provide best practices for planning and implementing equitable teams for more effective collaborations.

This workshop is presented in partnership with College of Natural Sciences.

Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) Workshops for Department & College Personnel Members

September 21, 2020 or September 22, 2020 from 12:00-2:00 pm

Every year MSP gets questions from faculty and librarians concerning the roles and responsibilities of DPC and CPC members, and how to conduct fair evaluations of their colleagues.  This workshop has been designed to assist and inform Personnel Committee members and committee chairs as they go about making important decisions concerning tenure, promotion, PMYR, issues concerning NTT faculty, etc.  We’ll be especially focused on explaining new MSP contract language and how to go about this important work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will have plenty of time for questions and answers.  This workshop is also a great opportunity to find out how other departments conduct their business and to share best practices with each other.

This workshop is presented in partnership with UMass ADVANCE. 

Equitable Practices for Evaluating Faculty Amid COVID-19 (With LEAD+ for Heads and Chairs)

October 2, 2020 from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Beth Mitchneck, Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona and former National Science Foundation Program Officer for ADVANCE

Faculty members are evaluated at regular intervals during their careers. Are those evaluations fair? Can we make them fairer?  This workshop focuses on 1) the research on how we practice faculty evaluation and an assessment of how equitable our standard measures are, and 2) tools to conduct equitable evaluations across gender, race, rank, subdiscipline, and discipline. Learn about hidden bias in review letter writing, research metrics, and service participation, and how to counteract the effects of documented biases in evaluation practice. The workshop includes concrete tools for heads, chairs, and directors to consider their own role in faculty evaluation and how to provide leadership to one’s department on conducting equitable evaluations.

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Academic Personnel Office and Office of Faculty Development.

Creating and Maintaining a Diverse Department

October 7, 2020 from 11:15am-12:15pm, Zoom
With Adia Harvey Wingfield, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Professor of Sociology, Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences Washington University in St. Louis

While many academic departments profess an interest in having more racial diversity among their faculty, they often struggle to achieve this goal. In this workshop, Professor Wingfield addresses common missteps departments take in trying to create more racial diversity, and offers some research-based solutions that can produce different outcomes. Professor Wingfield also discusses the importance of establishing an organizational culture that is color-conscious rather than color-blind. 

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Sociology Department

Equitable Practices for Evaluating Faculty Amid COVID-19 (For Department and College Personnel Committee Members)

October 8, 2020 from 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
With Beth Mitchneck, Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona and former National Science Foundation Program Officer for ADVANCE

Faculty members are evaluated at regular intervals during their careers. Are those evaluations fair? Can we make them fairer?  This workshop focuses on 1) the research on how we practice faculty evaluation and an assessment of how equitable our standard measures are, and 2) tools to conduct equitable evaluations across gender, race, rank, subdiscipline, and discipline. Learn about hidden bias in review letter writing, research metrics, and service participation, and how to counteract the effects of documented biases in evaluation practice. The workshop includes concrete tools for personnel committee members to consider their own role in faculty evaluation and how to provide leadership to one’s department on conducting equitable evaluations.

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Academic Personnel Office, Office of Faculty Development and the MA Society of Professors.

Inclusive Departmental Practices

November 12, 2020 from 3:00-4:00pm, Zoom
With Caitlyn Butler (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Curt Griffin (Environmental Conservation), and Greeley Kyle (Journalism) UMass Amherst

Inclusive and equitable departments don't just happen automatically but are the result of practices by the faculty in those departments. Research at UMass has shown that women faculty are less likely than men colleagues to feel respected and included in their departments, engaged in positive professional interactions with colleagues, and consulted and heard by their department Heads and Chairs. Chairs and faculty members can set the stage for greater inclusivity in their department in many ways. These efforts may require investing time into developing more inclusive practices – but they pay rich dividends, as faculty are more likely to succeed, develop collaborations, and contribute when their departments are inclusive. Departments may need different kinds of practices depending on their field. Learn from panelists from across three colleges who have been particularly successful at building a sense of inclusion and community in their departments at UMass.

Successful Research Collaboration Across All Career Stages

November 16, 2020 from 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
With Monica Gaughan, Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University 

Collaborations are central to the modern academic science enterprise, but they require skills and strategies that are not typically developed in formal educational systems. Students are evaluated as individuals, faculty are evaluated as individuals, and systems of promotion (whether educational or professional) are organized around individual achievement. At the same time, these individual achievements are only possible through ethical behavior, appropriate mentoring, and effective collaborations. In this workshop, we discuss stage-appropriate strategies for developing collaborative skills, including managing collaborators, understanding contributorship, and negotiating credit.

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Graduate School, as part of the Empowering Future Leaders for an Inclusive Academy series, and by the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR).

Implicit Bias Training and Holistic Review of Graduate Applications

November 17, 2020 from 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom

Whether you are aware or not, we all hold biases in the forms of stereotypes and implicit biases. In order to advance our mission to increase diversity, and promote inclusion and a positive campus climate, we need to address implicit bias as early as in the graduate application review process. Join us as we define implicit bias, provide ways to combat it, and introduce practical steps to promote holistic review of graduate applications.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Engagement, the UMass ADVANCE Program, and the Office of Faculty Development. 

Mentoring Faculty Colleagues

December 8, 2020 & December 9, 2020 from 10:00am - 12:30pm, Zoom (5 hours over two days)
With Jennifer Normanly, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Linda Tropp, Psychological and Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst

Mentoring faculty colleagues effectively is key to ensuring retention, a good departmental climate, and faculty success. In this session, based on the National Research Mentoring Network curriculum, we will identify effective strategies for mentoring colleagues through a series of active learning exercises. The training addresses establishing effective communication, working through issues of equity and inclusion, fostering self-efficacy, and promoting balance and networks.

Best Practices for Inclusive Governance for Heads & Chairs

February 5, 2021 from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With James Allan, Rafael Fissore, and Amy Springer (UMass Amherst)

Departments are in the business of making many decisions each year, around varied questions such as faculty recruitment, graduate admissions, curricular changes, and space allocation. ADVANCE research has shown how dramatically different governance looks in different departments on campus. When decisions are made in ways that faculty members see as fair and inclusive – department cultures improve. Most heads, chairs, and faculty want transparent and inclusive governance—but need realistic models for how to do this. Learn from and discuss varying approaches to governance with panelists who have been particularly successful at building a sense of inclusion and community in their departments at UMass.

This workshop is presented in collaboration with the Office of Faculty Development's LEAD+ Program

Bystander Intervention Performance & Workshop

February 8, 2021 from 11:00-12:40pm, Zoom  or
February 9, 2021 from 3:00-4:40pm, Zoom  
With AWED Theater Company

Bystander intervention draws on principles of performance and research to explore bystander dynamics and mediation strategies in the context of micro (individual) and macro (departmental) communication, policies, and processes. Attendees have the opportunity to witness subtle, dynamic scenes as a method to examine the bystander experience in real-time. By exploring their own reactions through interactive dialogue and reflective tools, observers can “enter” scenarios and practice strategies for addressing moments and subtle aspects of departmental climate.

Best Practices for Inclusive Governance for Faculty

February 12, 2021 from 11:00-12:30pm, Zoom
With James Allan, Rafael Fissore, and Amy Springer (UMass Amherst)

Departments are in the business of making many decisions each year, around varied questions such as faculty recruitment, graduate admissions, curricular changes, and space allocation. ADVANCE research has shown how dramatically different governance looks in different departments on campus. When decisions are made in ways that faculty members see as fair and inclusive – department cultures improve. Most heads, chairs, and faculty want transparent and inclusive governance—but need realistic models for how to do this. Learn from and discuss varying approaches to governance with panelists who have been particularly successful at building a sense of inclusion and community in their departments at UMass.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development

Developing Your No: How to Advance as a Faculty Leader 

March 12, 2021 from 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
With Eve Riskin, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Faculty Director of the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, University of Washington

Throughout their careers, faculty of all ranks are called upon to serve in leadership roles that require new skills. ADVANCE supports equity in faculty advancement, and provides skill building resources to help all faculty progress in their careers. As you advance to a new position of leadership, it is important to define new boundaries. Unless you take care of yourself and don’t overcommit, you can’t do your best work for your unit.  Leaders especially need to be responsive.
 
With this in mind, this workshop will provide tips and wisdom for saying “yes” and “no” in light of the new demands you will find on your time. Dr. Eve Riskin, Faculty Director of ADVANCE at the University of Washington, will share her reflections and experiences on this topic to help you:
 
1.    Learn how to spot requests that you can comfortably say no to
2.    Learn how to spot requests that you should say yes to
3.    Learn how to spot requests that you can say no to without beating yourself up
4.    Learn why you need to be more responsive than ever

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development as part of their Leadership Essentials for All Faculty (LEAF) series.

ADVANCE Annual Lecture with Dr. Shirley Malcom
Science in the Time of COVID and America’s Reckoning with Race
Opening Remarks by Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy and Provost John McCarthy

March 24, 2021 from 4:00-5:30pm, Zoom

Watch the Recording

The disruptions brought on by the pandemic have forced colleges and universities to work differently. The added disruptions that sprang from America’s reckoning with race have called on institutions to re-imagine, re-invent and DO things differently. Science took front and center in battling COVID-19; but the effects of disparities that accompanied life during the pandemic for scientists from marginalized groups will likely extend over time. How can our re-imagining lead to greater diversity, equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine?

Shirley Malcom is Senior Advisor and director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general science organization. She works to support transformative change in teaching and learning, research and practice to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in STEMM fields. Dr. Malcom is a trustee of Caltech, and a regent of Morgan State University. She served on the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Malcom received her PhD in ecology from the Pennsylvania State University, masters in zoology from UCLA, and bachelor’s in zoology from the University of Washington. She holds 17 honorary degrees and serves on the boards of the Heinz Endowments, Public Agenda, the National Math-Science Initiative and Digital Promise.

The ADVANCE Annual Lecture is co-sponsored by the Riccio College of Engineering, College Information and Computer Sciences, College Natural Sciences, College Social and Behavioral Science, Graduate School, Institute for Diversity Sciences, Institute for Social Science Research, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Office of Faculty Development, Provost's Office and the Office of Research and Engagement.

Supporting Queer and Trans Faculty

April 9, 2021 from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Jason Garvey, Friedman-Hipps Green and Gold Professor of Education and Program Coordinator for the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program at the University of Vermont

Queer and trans faculty often experience hostile and uninviting institutional climates, which may lead these faculty to leave their institutions. This workshop will delve into how region, climate, and other factors impact queer and trans faculty experiences, and how institutions can help develop more supportive environments.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the UMass Stonewall Center.

Negotiating for Equity

April 12, 2021 from 11:00-12:30pm, Zoom
With Dean Tricia Serio, Professor Ofer Sharone, and Nefertiti Walker, Interim Vice Chancellor for Office of Equity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Sport Management, UMass Amherst

Being a faculty member involves negotiation from the moment of receiving your first job offer. Negotiation is a skill that can be learned but is not often taught in graduate programs in science and engineering. Research shows that negotiation processes often lead to inequitable outcomes for women, and especially for women of color. These unequal outcomes of negotiation can create gender and race gaps in pay and other resources that widen over time. As faculty careers progress, negotiation involves advocacy on behalf of others as well as one’s own career—for one’s graduate students and postdocs; and for faculty leaders, negotiation for one’s colleagues and department. Negotiation can be an important tool in creating greater inclusion and equity. Panelists in this session will present guidance on how faculty, especially women faculty and BIPOC faculty, can negotiate for equitable outcomes, and how campus leaders can be sponsors of career success for women faculty, including BIPOC women faculty, through their negotiations.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the College of Natural Sciences and the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Getting the Mentoring You Need

October 1, 2019, 11:30-1:00pm, Integrative Learning Center, N400
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

While some faculty members have formal or informal mentors in their departments – others do not. Even with faculty mentors, many faculty members do not receive the mentoring, feedback, and advice they need. Asking for mentoring can feel difficult, if not impossible. This workshop explores how to solve these problems, get the mentoring you need, and give you more power to negotiate for the career you want to have.  

Decision-Making Strategies that Work (With LEAD+)

October 25, 2019, 12:30 – 2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center, N400
James Allan, Itai Sher and Eve Weinbaum, UMass Amherst

Departments are in the business of making many decisions each year, around varied questions such as faculty recruitment, graduate admissions, curricular changes, and space allocation. Many departments have been using the same decision-making strategies for decades, even if they are not effective. When decisions are made in ways that faculty members see as fair and inclusive – department cultures improve. This session provides pointers on how to ensure that different voices are heard in decision-making through consensus-building, as well effective voting models.

Leading for Change: Useful Lessons from Theory, Research, and Practice

November 1, 2019, 12:30 – 2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center, N400
With Ann Austin, Michigan State University, and Mary Deane Sorcinelli, AAU and UMass Amherst

Department chairs, faculty leaders, deans, and others in leadership roles often want to advance change goals related to organizational culture, strategies for recruiting and retaining colleagues, or other important issues. But change can be very hard—especially if it requires people to think or work differently or relinquish well-established habits or processes. This interactive workshop will address how to foster and accomplish major change in higher education, giving you tools that allow you to effectively lead for change.

Making Your Vote Count in Departmental Decision-Making

November 8, 2019, 12:30 – 2:00pm, W. E. B. Du Bois Library, Room 2601
With James Allan, Itai Sher and Eve Weinbaum, UMass Amherst

Departments make many decisions each year, around questions as varied as faculty recruitment, graduate admissions, curricular changes, and space allocation. What are the best ways to make decisions collectively? This session provides pointers on how to ensure that different voices are heard in decision-making through consensus-building strategies, as well as models of voting that can lead to better outcomes.

Building Your Mentoring Networks: Make Every Connection Count

December 12, 2019, 12:30 -2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center, N400
With Mary Deane Sorcinelli, AAU and UMass Amherst

Mentoring matters. In this interactive session, you will identify your professional goals, strengths, and skills that you want to develop; explore mentoring as a medium for helping you meet those goals; “map” your own mentoring networks—what they are and could be, drawing on a range of examples; and discuss best practices for seeking, developing, and cultivating a network of mentors.

Faculty Mentoring: Best Practices (With LEAD+)

January 24, 2020, 12:30 – 2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center, N400
Russel Tessier, Jennifer Lundquist and Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, UMass Amherst

Faculty mentoring has evolved in a variety of ways – with mutual mentoring and team mentoring models gaining ground. This workshop introduces a variety of approaches to building effective mentoring programs and encourages Chairs and Heads to consider new approaches to ensuring that all faculty members in their departments receive the mentoring they need.

Building Equitable Collaboration Networks

February 3, 2020, 12:30-2:00pm, Life Sciences Lab, S330-340
With Julia Melkers, Georgia Tech

While scientists conduct their work in collaborative teams both, locally, nationally, and globally, participation in teams is not necessarily diverse. In some disciplines where women and people of color are severely underrepresented, opportunities to collaboratively engage may experience additional challenges. This workshop builds on existing empirical work to address how academic faculty can more deliberately construct and meaningfully collaborate in ways that are more inclusive and equitable.

Faculty Mentoring: Best Practices

February 7, 2020, 12:30-2:00pm, Life Sciences Lab, S330
With Russell Tessier, Jennifer Lundquist and Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, UMass Amherst

Faculty mentoring has evolved in a variety of ways – with mutual mentoring and team mentoring models gaining ground. This workshop introduces a variety of approaches to effective faculty mentoring programs, providing clear models that can be adopted to different departments and colleges on campus.

The Art of Collaboration (With Office of Faculty and Development)

February 14, 2020, 9:00 – 11:00am, Life Sciences Lab, S330
With Jennifer Normanly, UMass Amherst

Scholarly work and research have become increasingly collaborative. Effective teamwork and collaboration are essential for projects to succeed. In this workshop a panel of faculty members who have successfully engaged in collaborative research discuss various mechanisms for working in effective collaborative teams.

Equity-Minded Faculty Workload Reform 

February 27, 2020, 8:45am-10:30am (Part 1) and 10:45am-12:15pm (Part 2), Campus Center, Amherst Room (10th Floor)
With Joya Misra, UMass Amherst and KerryAnn O'Meara, University of Maryland College Park
This is a two-part workshop. You may register for Part 1, Part 2, or both (recommended).

Many faculty members report feeling that workload in their department is unfairly distributed; women and faculty of color may be asked to carry out more than their share of work. This session provides clear, evidence-based practices to create better, fairer workloads for faculty through changing the “choice architecture” for the division of labor in departments. For example, dashboards with transparent displays of work activity data ensure that faculty understand performance expectations, and department Chairs and Heads are not making assignments in the dark. Systems such as rotation of time-intensive roles, performance benchmarks by rank, or differentiated workload can help departments create fairer workload for all faculty.

Part 1 will focus on using faculty workload activity or dashboards to increase transparency. 

Part 2 will focus on organizational policies and practices that can be adopted to proactively design toward more equitable workloads and reward systems.

Postponed - ADVANCE Annual Lecture and Reception

March 30, 2020, 4:00-6:00pm, Old Chapel
With Dr. Shirley Malcom, AAAS

Shirley Malcom is Senior Advisor and Director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general science organization. She works to support transformative change in teaching and learning, research and practice to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in STEM fields.

Postponed - Strategic Collaboration

April 7, 2020, 12:30-2:00pm, Life Sciences Lab, S330
With Beronda Montgomery, Michigan State University

Strategic collaboration is collaboration across disciplines or across career stages to increase research impact, as well as strategic collaboration for entering new areas (e.g. scientists collaborating with social scientists to stimulate new interdisciplinary research). This workshop also discusses the mentoring needed to engage strategically in collaboration.

Mentoring Faculty Colleagues

May 13, 2020 & May 14, 2020 from 10am-12:15pm, Zoom (4.5 hour workshop over two days)
With Joya Misra, and Jennifer Normanly, UMass Amherst

Mentoring faculty colleagues effectively is key to ensuring retention, a good departmental climate, and faculty success. In this session, based on the National Research Mentoring Network curriculum, we will identify effective strategies for mentoring colleagues through a series of active learning exercises. The training addresses establishing effective communication, working through issues of equity and inclusion, fostering self-efficacy, and promoting balance and networks. 

Workshopping Departmental Mentoring Plans, 12:30-1:30pm

Mentoring Colleagues in Times of Change, 1:30-2:00pm

(Presented in collaboration with the Office of Faculty Development)

May 15, 2020 from 12:30-2:00pm, Zoom
With Michelle Budig and Joya Misra, UMass Amherst

Please join us for a short session aimed at faculty members and Chairs/Heads workshopping department mentoring plan. The session will briefly present best principles, offer you a series of prompts to begin writing or revising your department mentoring plan, and provide you with examples of excellent department mentoring plans. Our goal is for you to leave the workshop with a draft or revised mentoring plan to present to your department. We will answer the following questions: How do departmental mentoring plans differ from individualized mentoring plans? What elements need to be in place to receive approval from the Provost's office? What are the best practices in departmental mentoring that lead to retaining faculty and creating positive departmental cultures? 

Following the workshop, we will host a conversation on mentoring colleagues during times of change. Many faculty members recognize that the uncertainty of the current moment has been destabilizing, particularly for pre-tenure and NTT faculty members. What are some approaches to share with colleagues to help create a more resilient community?

Recognizing the Impact of COVID-19 in Evaluating Faculty: A Conversation with Provost John McCarthy, Dean Sanjay Raman, and Dean Tricia Serio

June 4, 2020 from 2:00-3:00pm, Zoom

Faculty work has been impacted by COVID-19 in a variety of ways, including moving classes online, and having research programs abruptly interrupted. It is likely that this impact will be felt more powerfully by women, faculty with primary caregiving responsibilities and members of underrepresented groups across campus. This ADVANCE-sponsored session connects faculty with Provost John McCarthy, Dean Sanjay Raman of the College of Engineering, and Dean Tricia Serio of the College of Natural Sciences, to discuss how the institution will take these disruptions into account. This session will address guidance to Personnel Committees and external letter writers, approaches to documenting the impact of COVID-19 on faculty careers, and equity-minded approaches to addressing the impact of COVID-19.   

Collaborative Research Seed Grant Information Session

June 15, 2020 from 1:00-2:00pm, Zoom

ADVANCE is pleased to announce a second round of a collaborative research seed grant funding to foster the development of innovative and equitable collaborative research projects among UMass Amherst faculty. A letter of intent is due on September 8^th and the full proposal is due on September 15^th. Announcement of awards will be made on November 1^st and funding will be available Spring 2021. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend this session to learn more about the grant opportunity and how to apply.

How to Collaborate: Tips on Team Science and Equity

February 8, 2019, 10:30am-12:00pm
Life Science Laboratories Building N610
Learn how to develop a culture of effective and equitable collaboration, based on sociological research on highly successful
scientific teams.

Developing a Mentor Network

February 26, 2019, 12:30-2:00pm
Campus Center Hadley Room

There is no guru who can meet all of your mentoring needs. Come learn how to build a mentoring network that supports for your diverse professional and personal goals. This workshop is a part of the Office of Equity and Inclusion Community Lunch Series.

How to Lead Research Collaborations

March 1, 2019, 9:00-10:30am
Life Science Laboratories Building S330

This workshop is a part of the TEFD “I’m a PI, Now What?” Workshop Series and will provide the tools for planning, practicing, and maintaining effective research collaborations as a PI.

Building Successful Mentoring Relationships: How to be an Effective Mentor or Mentee

March 7, 2019, 12:00-1:30pm
Campus Center Hadley Room

Mentoring matters. Yet, because mentoring is rarely taught or recognized, it can be difficult to learn how to mentor effectively. This workshop will provide tips on mentoring effectively and strategies for getting the most out of mentoring relationships.

Time Management: Pre- and Post- Tenure

March 20, 2019, 12:00-2:00pm, Campus Center Amherst Room

Time is a limited resource and managing it well is a continuous struggle pre- and post- tenure. Learn how to prioritize your time and use strategies to make the most of the time you have. This workshop is a part of the Office of Equity & Inclusion Community Lunch Series.

Understanding Challenges Facing Queer and Trans Faculty

April 23, 2019, 12:00-2:00pm, Location TBD

Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum faculty often experience hostile and uninviting institutional climates. These experiences may lead lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) faculty to leave their institutions. This workshop discusses how region, climate, and other factors impact queer/trans spectrum faculty, and how
institutions can help develop more supportive environments.

Open to Chairs and Heads Only in Collaboration with LEAD+

Building a Climate for Equity in Academic Departments

February 8, 2019, 12:30-2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center N400

Time Management

April 5, 2019, 12:30-2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center N400

Providing Effective Feedback on Annual Reviews

April 12, 2019, 12:30-2:00pm, Integrative Learning Center N400

Growing a garden in a toxic swamp: Patient-derived metastasis model for studying bone regeneration.

The principal investigators for this team are:

Stacyann Bailey (left), assistant professor, department of biomedical engineering
Govind Srimathveeravalli (right), assistant professor, mechanical & industrial engineering

Cancer metastasis to bone is largely incurable. The mechanisms of bone extracellular matrix (ECM) modification by cancer cells leading to increased bone turnover and subsequent fractures are poorly understood. Difficulties in recapitulating bone metastasis in vivo and the simplicity of in vitro models are major barriers to progress in the field. Irreversible electroporation (IRE), a commonly used clinical technique to non-surgically treat cancer, has been developed by the Co-PI for decellularizing soft tissues to produce ECM scaffolds. We propose to refine IRE for decellularizing human bone with metastasis and understand the influence of Type I collagen alterations on bone remodeling. We hypothesize that pathogenic ECM in MBD can be recovered by healthy osteogenic cells in the absence of cancer cells, where the reduction of cancer-induced Type I collagen crosslinks will restore tissue-level mineralization and mechanical strength. Thus, we will decellularize human metastatic bone and reseed with healthy bone marrow derived- and mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate the tissue. Collagen synthesis and degradation, mineral-matrix ratio, and mechanical properties will be compared between metastatic IRE-treated and healthy bone. Our experiments will lead to the establishment of a new model for studying metastases-induced bone disease and preliminary data in support of extramural grants.

Understanding cybersecurity risk and resiliency for law enforcement vehicles.

The principal investigators for this team are:

Shannon Roberts (left), assistant professor, mechanical & industrial engineering
Lauren McCarthy (right), associate professor, legal studies and political science

Cyberattacks on law enforcement officers’ vehicles can compromise and disrupt emergency response or reveal sensitive personal information of civilians. To date, we have little knowledge of how law enforcement officers understand and respond to cybersecurity concerns within their work vehicles. As such, the objectives of this research are to: (1) document existing vehicle cybersecurity education materials for law enforcement officers; and (2) evaluate the utility of a training program (designed for civilians) on law enforcement officer behavior during real-world vehicle cybersecurity incidents. We will achieve these goals by first, conducting a thorough review of existing vehicle cybersecurity training programs for law enforcement officers, and then, engaging with law enforcement officers through a driving simulator study and subsequent interviews. We expect to identify a gap in terms of vehicle cybersecurity training specific to law enforcement officers. However, we also expect our previously developed training program (for civilians) to show moderate efficacy among law enforcement officers, suggested the need for refinement that is specific to law enforcement.

Quantifying the impact of road condition on drivers and residents in vulnerable communities.

The principal investigators for this team are:

Jessica Boakye (left), assistant professor, civil & environmental engineering
Egemen Okte (right), research assistant professor, civil & environmental engineering

Vulnerable communities are often located near deteriorated and/or high-volume roads. The condition of such roads can have negative impacts on both the drivers and residents. Excessive road roughness increases fuel consumption, vehicle repair, and tire wear and tear costs for the drivers. Residents are exposed to exhaust emissions, air pollution due to particulate matter, and increased road noise in high volume roads. Traditional road design and maintenance methods typically neglect these adverse impacts that are incurred on the user. We propose a user centric index that quantifies the impact of road condition on drivers and residents in vulnerable communities. To achieve this objective, our team will first create a graphical network model of vulnerable communities and their typical origin-destination pairs to identify the most traveled roads (Boakye group). Next, road condition components (roughness, skid resistance, texture, and distresses) will be collected and converted into a road condition rating system (Okte group). Then, the road condition rating system and population characteristics will be combined to estimate the additional user costs such as additional fuel consumption and increased vehicle maintenance costs (Okte group). Finally, a holistic impact index will be created by combining economic and health costs (Boakye group).     

Active particle dynamics at flexible interfaces.

The principal investigators for this team are:

Peter Beltramo (left), assistant professor, chemical engineering
Manasa Kandula (right), assistant professor, physics

Spontaneous absorption of colloids to immiscible fluid interfaces is used to control the properties of a wide range of flexible interfaces, from oil-water interfaces in emulsions to biological interfaces like phospholipid vesicles. Based on their size, shape, and chemistry, adsorbed colloids tune the properties of emulsions, foams, and vesicles that enable technologies across consumer products, petrochemicals, and biomaterials. The field is approaching the limits of what can be achieved with passive, isotropic, particles primarily due to limited on-demand tunability. The discovery of active (self-propelling) colloids has resulted in the development of novel materials that leverage their directed motion. Integrating active colloids with oil-water and biological interfaces offers the potential for developing reconfigurable interfaces and bio-mimetic materials for targeted drug delivery, respectively.  However, active colloid behavior at fluid interfaces is expected to depend on the fluid viscosity, interfacial tension, and bending rigidity of the interface.  Behavior at these complex interfaces is not well understood and is therefore the focus of the collaboration between Beltramo and Kandula. Towards this goal, we will synthesize active colloids and examine their diffusion at oil-water and lipid bilayer interfaces. Our studies will provide fundamental insights which can be leveraged to tailor materials with reconfigurable, functional, interfaces.

Investigating Amygdala Circuit Dysfunctions in a Mouse Model Relevant to Schizophrenia

The principal investigators for this team are:

• Karine Fenelon, assistant professor, department of biology
• David Moorman, associate professor, psychological and brain sciences

The filtering of sensorimotor information is a fundamental brain mechanism that, if reduced, is associated with and often predictive of psychosis, attention impairment and cognitive over-load. In humans and translational models, sensorimotor filtering can be measured using the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the auditory startle response task. Acoustic PPI occurs when a weak sound presented prior to a loud startling sound, inhibits startle. Reduced PPI is a hallmark of schizophrenia but is also seen in other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Currently, the reversal of PPI deficits in animal models is widely used in pre-clinical research for antipsychotic drug screening. Yet, the neurotransmitter systems and synaptic mechanisms underlying PPI deficits are still not resolved. Amygdalar dysfunctions alter PPI and are common to pathologies displaying sensorimotor filtering deficits, including schizophrenia. Therefore here, we aim to identify amygdala mechanisms that cause PPI deficits as promising drug ta-gets, using a mouse model of schizophrenia. To do so, the team will perform in vitro (Fenelon group) and in vivo (Moorman group) electrophysiological recordings of neurons central to PPI.

Accelerating Fragment-Based Quantum Chemistry via Machine Learning 

The principal Investigators for the team are:

• Zhou Lin, assistant professor, department of chemistry
• Hui Guan, assistant professor, college of information and computer sciences

The high-throughput design of multi-fragment complex systems with compelling electronic properties is a driving force behind scientific and technological advancement. First-principles quantum chemical calculations are gradually replacing tedious and labor-intensive experiments to promote design productivity. For example, the construction of high-quality doped organic electronic materials requires a computational search of polymer-dopant composites with fast electron-hole separations and slow electron-hole recombination. However, first-principles evaluations of these properties are generally infeasible due to the difficulty in balancing efficiency and accuracy in quantum chemistry. Lin and Guan’s collaborative team proposes developing data-driven computational methods for modeling energetics and dynamics of composite systems with enhanced accuracy and efficiency. Methodologically, we will establish a fragment-based, quantum embedding framework and integrate advanced machine learning algorithms into otherwise expensive evaluations of inter-fragment interactions. As the first step, we will construct graph learning-based models to capture quantitative relationships between effortless molecular descriptors and targeted many-fragment interactions based on van der Waals molecular aggregations. This strategy will remove the computational bottleneck of composite systems without compromising their accuracy and provide insights into predicting and interpreting their energetics and dynamics. Both aspects will make our study significant and unique in the high-throughput rational design of composite systems.

Portable, Robotic Footwear to Actively Modulate Foot-ground Stiffness in Real-time

The principal investigators for this team are:

• Meghan Huber, assistant professor, department of mechanical and industrial engineering
• Wouter Hoogkamer, assistant professor, department of kinesiology

Impairments to upright balance and locomotion can present in humans for a multitude of reasons, including injury, neurological disease, or even simply aging, and when they do, one’s quality of life is often markedly reduced. Thus, highly effective methods for gait and balance rehabilitation are greatly needed. The control of foot-ground interaction dynamics plays a pivotal role in maintaining standing balance and locomotion during many activities of human living. Human feet serve as interfaces through which the body and ground simultaneously act upon each other and through which the body can sense the physical world around it. Currently, the existence of tools to study, and ultimately assist or re-train, how humans manage interaction with the ground through their feet is limited. To address this gap, the overall goal of the proposed project is to design, build, and evaluate portable, robotic footwear that can actively modulate foot-ground stiffness and measure the ground reaction forces under each foot. The added advantage of such a portable research tool is that it can be used to study or modify human behavior not only in tightly controlled laboratory tasks, but also in a wide variety of tasks that require whole-body control in real-world contexts.

Corporate Board Diversity and Disruptive Innovation

The principal investigators for this team are:

• Aurora Liu Genin, assistant professor, department of management
• Wenting Ma, assistant professor, department of finance

This project explores how human diversity of director boards affect disruptive technological innovation. Corporate leadership diversity has increasingly garnered attention due to its potential socioeconomic impact. However, the ways by which corporate board diversity affects firm value creation remain unclear: recent studies reveal both performance enhancements and penalties attributed to diverse board members. To shed light on this issue, the team will investigate multiple facets of board human diversity and how they influence disruptive technological innovation‚ a linchpin for long-term firm growth, economic, and social value creation.

MAPPING INSTABILITY: The Effects of the Pandemic on the Civic Life of a Small Town

The principal investigators for this team are:

• Narges Mahyar, assistant professor, college of information and computer sciences
• Pari Riahi, assistant professor, department of architecture
• Ali Sarvghad, extension associate professor, college of information and computer sciences

This project investigates the impacts of the current pandemic on Amherst residents' civic lives, focusing on mobility, access to collective resources, sense of community, and social connectedness within the town's physical and architectural confines. Collecting rich data from the public is vital for this goal. In-person public data collection methods such as interviews and focus groups are infeasible due to the current crisis. There has been a proliferation of online data collection and public engagement platforms. While online platforms broaden access and increase engagement, they cannot support and sustain dialogue to encourage people to provide deeper insights into their needs and issues. The team will co-design an innovative conversational chatbot that approximates a live conversation. This project makes collected data accessible through equitable channels to citizens and policymakers. It builds upon previous interdisciplinary collaboration that joins forces from Architecture and Computer Science disciplines, fusing research on adaptive reuse, digital civics, and visualization. The team will offer a new model for synergistic and synchronized gathering and transfer of data and its use as it is reflected back to civic society and the city's architectural and urban environment.

Lighting Up Macrophages in Three-Dimensional Tissues

The principal investigators for this team are:

• Michelle Farkas, assistant professor, department of chemistry
• Shelly Peyton, associate professor, department of chemical engineering

Macrophages are unique cells that can both activate and suppress the immune system, by rapidly switching between states often referred to as “M1” (stimulating) and “M2” (suppressing). The balance between these states can be disrupted in cancer and other diseases, which can be disastrous for patients, but also present targets for treatment. There is a critical need for tools to study this interconversion, information vital to being able to stop or reverse immunosuppression. Farkas will develop real-time fluorescent reporters of macrophages to track their changes. Peyton will use the reporters in three-dimensional tissue culture models that mimic the tumor microenvironment to visualize and quantify macrophage-tumor interactions. This work represents the first use of macrophage-based reporters, and the first instance of real-time tracking of macrophage states in a multi-component system. While fluorescent reporters themselves are not a new approach, their application in this manner is vastly different from those of others. By being able to directly visualize the interconversion of macrophages between M1 and M2 phenotypes, the team can for the first time study this process and the conditions under which it occurs, in a spatially and temporally resolved manner, leading to new treatment strategies.

Elucidating mechanoselective adhesion and antibiotic resistance for catheter-associated bacterial infections using genomics approaches

This project explores the genetic underpinnings of bacterial cell adhesion to catheter coatings to inform the development of infection-resistant catheters. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are the most prevalent healthcare-associated infection in the United States, accounting for over 30% of acute hospital infections. This interdisciplinary team combines Schiffman’s expertise in materials science with Andrews’ in synthetic biology to study how the mechano-chemical properties of catheters impact cell adhesion and in the development of CRISPR-based genomic tools for uropathogenic E.coli and a novel library of tunable biomaterials. 

Principal Investigators:

• Lauren Andrews, Marvin and Eva Schlanger Faculty Fellow, assistant professor, department of chemical engineering
• Jessica Schiffman, James M. Douglas Career Development Faculty Fellow, associate professor, department of chemical engineering

Consumer and fisherman attitudes towards sustainable local seafood 

This project addresses the need for sustainable new markets for seafood from New England. Climate change challenges the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of New England's seafood industry. A warming Gulf of Maine compounds the complex puzzle of ecosystems, fish population dynamics and catch limits for specific fisheries. Cascading effects on fishermen, seafood processors, markets and restaurants provide a network of challenges that are difficult to disentangle. This proposal brings together a team with diverse expertise in ecology, climate change adaptation, economics, stakeholder engagement and product development. We aim to support the fishing industry by investigating consumers’ seafood choices, sustainable fishing practices, and seafood products that contain lesser-known yet abundant species.

Principal investigators:

• Alissa Nolden, assistant professor, department of food science
• Jill Fitzsimmons, assistant research professor, department of resource economics
• Amanda Kinchla, extension associate professor, department of food science
• Katherine Kahl, extension assistant professor, sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience, department of environmental conservation

Black Women United seeks to increase the advancement of Black women faculty and to drive institutional transformation to create environments where diversity is encouraged and supported. This network of Black women, where community, fellowship, and comradery can be developed, will encourage women across various levels to champion one another, provide advice on how to continue advancing within the institution, and find balance with one another. This team is co-led by Cheryl Swanier, Computer Science and Felicia Griffin-Fennell, Sociology and includes: Judyie Al-Bilali, Performance and Theater for Social Change; Sofiya Alhassan, Kinesiology; and Maria Rios, WEB DuBois Library.

Women in Mechanical and industrial Engineering: A Relay Race to Mentorship Success seeks to to build a peer support network, research partnerships and a feeling of belonging among the female faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in spite of logistical challenges of our separate locations, different ranks and specialties. Specifically they plan to (1) develop peer mentoring ties within ranks and between the ranks, (2) to develop support mechanisms for challenges inherent to faculty life, (3) to create social ties between faculty in order to build a feeling of belonging and reduce isolation and (4) to improve the experience of future new female faculty as they start within the department. This team is led by Gina Olson and includes: Erin Baker, Muge Capan, Chaitra Gopalappa, Meghan Huber, Ana Muriel, Shannon Roberts, Yanfei Xu, and Golbon Zakeri.

Asian & Asian American Faculty at UMass Amherst seeks to build an intellectually vibrant and supportive professional community network for Asian and Asian American faculty that will empower them to become more engaged in campus activities and leadership opportunities to promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels and for the benefit of the entire UMass Amherst campus community. The team is led C.N. Le, Sociology and includes Min Yun, Astronomy; Sangeeta Kamat, Education Policy, Research and Admin; Asha Nadkarni, English; Michael Sakamoto, Fine Arts Center; and Karen Cardozo and Miliann Kang from Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Black Women United seeks to increase the advancement of Black women faculty and to drive institutional transformation to create environments where diversity is encouraged and supported. This network of Black women, where community, fellowship, and comradery can be developed, will encourage women across various levels to champion one another, provide advice on how to continue advancing within the institution, and find balance with one another. This team is co-led by Felicia Griffin-Fennell, Sociology and Cheryl Swanier, Computer Science and includes Judyie Al-Bilali, Performance and Theater for Social Change; and Maria Rios, WEB DuBois Library.

Leading from the Middle: Preparation and Pathways for Women Associate Deans seeks to better understand obstacles and hone supports and strategies to maximize the impact and wellbeing of women Associate Deans. By exploring gender and race equity in academic leadership, addressing gaps in training and supports, and sharing strategies for getting oriented to and thriving within these positions they will gain knowledge needed to help future Associate Deans and those aspiring to this position. This team is co-led by Joye Bowman, History; Kathy Forde, Journalism; Jennifer Lundquist, Sociology; and Lynn Phillips, Communication.

Transdisciplinary Future Studies seeks to build a network of academics-– from the creative disciplines (art, design, literature) and research-based disciplines (geoscience, anthropology, history, and computer science)– who are interested in future studies to promote environmental and social justice. The team will promote long-term thinking, while cultivating a standard of agency, insight and hope with which future generations can shape a just and sustainable future. This team is led by Julie Brigham-Grette, Geosciences and includes Sonya Atalay, Anthropology; Sandy Litchfield and Ray Mann, Architecture; Yair Zick, Computer Science; Malcolm Sen, English; Martín Medina Elizalde, Geosciences; Alice Nash, History; and Laure Katsaros, Languages, Literature and Cultures.

Aiding Math-Physics Educational and Research Experiences

This team seeks to bridge substantial disciplinary gaps between local faculty in pure mathematics and theoretical physics; enabling better communication, co-mentoring of students and post-docs, and research collaborations. The team is co-led by Ben Heidenreich, David Kastor, and Jennie Traschen in Physics and Owen Gwilliam and Franz Pedit in Math and Statistics and includes team members Paul Hacking, Alexi Oblomkov, and Martina Rovelli from Mathematics and Statistics and Tigran Sedrakyan and Romain Vasseur from Physics.

Foundations of Anti-Racism in Mathematics and Statistics

This team seeks to build a solid antiracist foundation within the University of Massachusetts Amherst Mathematics and Statistics department. This project will serve as a starting point towards building a community and culture of anti-racist department practices. The team is led by Adena Calden from Mathematics and Statistics and includes team members Krista Gile, Maryclare Griffin, Mike Hayes, Annie Raymond, and Ted Westling also from Math and Statistics

Mentoring Up and Down: Meeting the Mentoring Needs of Early Career Faculty of Color 

This team seeks to: 1) develop the mentoring networks of junior faculty of color, educate senior faculty on the needs of early career scholars of color, and make recommendations to strengthen departmental supports provided to early career scholars of color. The team is led by Maria Galano from Psychological and Brain Sciences and includes team members David Arnold, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Elizabeth Harvey, Tara Mandalaywala, Evelyn Mercado, and Maureen Perry-Jenkins also from Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Navigating (Mini-)Tenure in the Time of COVID-19 

This team seeks to support assistant professors from underrepresented groups in successfully navigating the (mini-)tenure process, especially in light of the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This team is led by Camille Barchers of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning and includes team members, Sade Bonilla of Education Policy, Research and Administration, Maria Galano of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Ximena Gomez of History of Art and Architecture, and Enrique Suarez of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies.

The Center for Evolutionary Materials³ Group

The CEM3 Mutual Mentoring Program aims to assist early-career researchers in developing successful grant applications to the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy (DoE), and industrial research partners by building strong networks with program directors for research sponsors. The program aims to build social networks, especially among underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines, thereby facilitating mentoring that will allow scientists to “breakthrough” these invisible barriers. They will provide networking events that are designed to increase research collaborations between participants and increase funded research grants supported by the DoD, DoE, and industrial research partners. 

This team is led by Reika Katsumata, Polymer Sciences and Engineering, and includes Laura Bradley, Polymer Sciences and Engineering, Alfred Crosby, Polymer Sciences and Engineering, Jennifer Green, Polymer Sciences and Engineering, Duncan Irschick, Biology, and David Waldman, Polymer Sciences and Engineering.

The CNS Lecturers

This team plans to gather information and develop best practices to ensure that lecturers are engaged in departmental governance, decision-making, and leadership opportunities at a level that reflects the impact that they have on student learning and other important department functions. They intent to produce:

• A repository, for the campus, of resources on roles for Lecturers regarding expectations for teaching, research and service obligations and for opportunities for advancement.
• A report on Best Practices for involvement of Lecturers’ in department decision-making, governance, and workload assignment.
• A list of Talking Points that can be provided to Departments to seed discussions about fostering participation of Lecturers within their departments, alignment of ranks Page 3 of 5 between different types of faculty positions, and possible changes to bylaws to reflect these practices.

This team is led by Amy Springer, Biochemistry and Molecular and includes Laura Francis, Biology, Alex Shreyer, Ecological Conservation, and Heath Hatch, Physics

The Publish, Not Perish: Mutual Mentoring for Productive authors in Plant Biology Group

A group of plant scientists from the Five Colleges team up to offer mutual mentoring on effectively publishing one’s work. They recognize that the “peers” in “peer review” are usually faculty members themselves, and seek to tap this resource for valuable insights. They all serve as reviewers to a multitude of journals, and several are journal editors handling manuscripts in multiple areas of plant biology. They plan plan to invite staff editors employed by certain journals and editors-in-chief from journals of interest. By sharing insights through the entire publication process, from writing a manuscript to final acceptance, they aim to promote a culture of effectively and efficiently publishing our research findings.

This team is led by Dong Wang, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and includes Ana Caicedo, Biology, Alice Cheung, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michelle Facette, Biology, Jeeyon Jeong, Biology (Amherst College), and Sibongile Mafu, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The STEM Women’s Interdisciplinary Group

This team will establish long-lasting cross disciplinary research collaborations among intellectually diverse women faculty with common scientific research interests. Developing group grant proposals and establishing a peer and inclusive mentoring group for women to help foster collaborations will be the one of the important goals of this project. They will achieve this by organizing meetings, brainstorming sessions, writing groups and informal coffee gatherings inclusive of students. By expanding the network beyond the team members during the grant period, our team wants to establish a group and provide space for women in STEM fields interested in interdisciplinary research to grow professionally.

This team is co-led by Manasa Kandula, Physics and Caitlyn Butler, Civil and Environmental Engineering; team members include Anne Gershonen, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sarah Perry, Chemical Engineering, Maria Santore, Polymer Sciences and Engineering, and Jessica Schiffman, Chemical Engineering.

Women of Color Faculty Group 

The Women Faculty of Color Group (Blacklist) brings together self-identified women of color faculty in order to facilitate mentoring networks, community building and enhance the capacity of women faculty of color as talented leaders on the UMass Amherst campus and in their fields. It also fosters a social and scholarly community for processing and addressing the unique situation of women faculty of color in higher education. Through monthly lunch meetings, social gatherings, and writing retreats, the Blacklist creates a space for mutual mentoring and support for women faculty of color towards facilitating their retention at our pre-dominantly white university. Lastly, it also aims to generate discussions of how to achieve balance and quality of life given the desire for advancement and the need for connection.

Mari Castañeda (Communication), Benita Barnes (EPRA), Miliann Kang (WGSS), and Nefertiti Walker (Sport Management) 

Building Best Practices in Collaborative Award Management

This project aims to create better collaborative working operations in a critical aspect of team science – award management and execution – within the Sociology department, based on adapting best practices that work for all. The team members are a mix of junior faculty, senior faculty, and staff. Through a series of workshops and targeted discussions, the team intends to strengthen informal networks and relationships between junior faculty, senior faculty, and staff that are crucial to collaborative grant processes. The team aims for faculty will be to identify current challenges, gain a working knowledge of how to move through the grant process, and learn how to better coordinate with staff across various UMass organizations, including creating a handbook for best practices.

Mark Pachucki (Sociology), Jasmine Kerrissey (Sociology), Don Tomaskovic-Devey (Sociology), Jen Lundquist (Sociology), Kathryne Young (Sociology), Naomi Gerstel (Sociology), Tony Paik (Sociology), Sancha Medwinter (Sociology), Brian Sargent (Sociology) 

Women of Civil and Environmental Engineering

This team will host a proposal writing workshop centered on civil infrastructure. This workshop will invite researchers from the UMass system, the Five Colleges, and the New England region to spend 2-3 days at UMass Amherst sharing research expertise, forming collaborative teams, and writing portions of a proposal. The goal of the workshop is to enable inclusive research collaborations, span the inclusivity gap for women and URMs, provide the momentum to form these collaborations, and to leave the workshop with a portion of the proposal written.

Kara Peterman (CEE), Caitlyn Butler (CEE), Eleni Christopha (CEE), Emily Kumpel (CEE), Song Gao (CEE)