College of Engineering Selects LaChance and Chandio for Its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
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As College of Engineering (CoE) Dean Sanjay Raman recently posted, “I am pleased to announce Dr. Anna Marie LaChance, lecturer in Chemical Engineering (ChE), and Yasra Chandio, a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), as recipients of the 2024 CoE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award.” The college honored the DEI accomplishments of LaChance and Chandio during the annual DEI Celebration this April at the college.
According to Dean Raman’s announcement, LaChance's leadership on the ChE departmental DEI committee has been instrumental in planning monthly DEI forums and providing support for LGBTQIA+ students.
“In her capacity as a lecturer and as a Civic Engagement & Service Learning Fellow,” the announcement said, “LaChance has developed innovative courses and integrated new lessons into existing courses that integrate principles of DEI with technical knowledge. Her leadership in developing the Chemical Engineering Equity Action Plan underscores her commitment to fostering an equitable classroom environment for all students.”
LaChance has served as a speaker or panelist at various events to discuss equity-related teaching and transgender inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across campus. In addition, as a member of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Working Group, she is helping to share innovative, equity-minded practices and contributing to a research study about how generative AI is being used in STEM classrooms.
LaChance's contributions extend far beyond UMass Amherst, as proven by her involvement in speaking engagements and panel discussions on transgender inclusion in STEM at diverse universities and conferences.
LaChance also produces a podcast and maintains an active social-media presence in which she discusses issues relating to DEI in academia. “She is constantly thinking about ways to better address DEI-related topics and bring ideas to the faculty to build on the improvements that have already occurred,” Dean Raman’s announcement said.
Meanwhile, Chandio is a trailblazer in the field of Mixed Reality, working under the guidance of Assistant Professor Fatima Anwar in the ECE department. “Her motivation for this work stems from her own experiences of marginalization due to the new technology adoption prior to understanding the extent of technology’s implications to human safety,” Dean Raman’s announcement explained. “[Chandio] is committed to building a strong community in her department.”
In the fall of 2023, Chandio became the first student member of the ECE DEI committee. She has advocated for the ECE department to fund community-building events, and she organized the first retreat for ECE underrepresented grad students, an event which brought together 20 underrepresented grad students for a day of engagement outside of their labs.
According to the dean’s announcement, “[Chandio] revived the ECE Grad Gender Diversity group, fostering a strong community among non-binary and female-identified grad students. Many students have found friends, roommates, and project members through these groups.”
Within the CoE, Chandio has supported the UMass Women in Engineering and Computing Day and mentored undergraduate students in ECE capstone projects and summer undergraduate-research projects.
Locally, Chandio taught a three-week-long UMass K-12 Young Investigator Program for underrepresented students in the Springfield High School of Science & Technology. She also supported the Turing Summer Program, a three-week program for underrepresented students from Amherst High and other local schools, and she has given guest lectures at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley.
Nationally, Chandio is serving as a grad fellow for the Computing Research Association’s Committee on Education. Her goal is to join an academic institute as a tenure-track faculty member. (May 2024)