Diversity Statement – Sean I Young, PhD

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Diversity Statement. According to the NSF report on diversity from January 2023, more women, as well

as Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska Native people collectively, worked in STEM jobs over the

past decade, diversifying that workforce, and are earning more degrees in science and engineering fields at

all levels compared to previous years. However, the same groups, as well as people with disabilities, remain

largely underrepresented in STEM compared to their overall distribution in the US population, suggesting

that there is still work to be done in improving diversity, equity, and inclusion across STEM fields.

Having now worked in a number of labs across Stanford University, MIT and Harvard Medical School

(as well as a few other labs I was visiting), it became evident to me that ECE departments, in particular, still

have room for improvement when it comes to diversity in the above groups. Thinking back, I do not recall

ever having interacted with Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaska Native colleagues in Stanford’s or

MIT’s EE departments. The situation in my current lab at Harvard Medical School is better thanks, in part,

to a proactive push for diversity, equity and inclusion spearheaded by my advisor.

Why Electrical Engineering Departments May Have It Harder. In my view, many academic programs in

EE departments still require significant familiarity with computer programming prior to admission, which

can rule out students particularly from groups above, who are not sufficiently conversant with programming

languages. This is a form of language barrier that, I believe, deserves more attention, as linguistic maturity

(natural and programming) takes time. Even when admitted, students that are only just picking up the new

language cannot compete with those who are already conversant. Access to a computer from an early age

and, more importantly, parents who can “speak” the language with the kids is therefore key to diversity in

ECE in the long run, but until we get there, we must be more proactive in leveling the playing field for the

less privileged students, welcome them with open arms, and foster an environment of collaboration as well

as collegiality in hopes that the language and culture of programming and a tradition of science will settle

into their future families and homes. Below are the steps I will take to build a more diverse, equitable and

inclusive community within my future lab, across the department, and ultimately on campus.

MY THREE R’S FOR DEI

Recruit Students Diversely. It is not uncommon nowadays for students applying to graduate programs to

already have a publication in a well-regarded computer science and electrical engineering conferences or

journals. This inflation in the qualifications of incoming students, however, widens the gap between the less

privileged and more experienced students. While students’ having prior experience in publishing should be

looked favorably upon, we should not always be looking to “sportify” education and give opportunities also

to students who would eventually perform at the level of their more experienced peers. In recruiting

members of my future lab, I plan to consider not only the success already demonstrated by students, but

also other indicators of students’ future success and character, to build a more diverse lab.

Respect Personal Space and Time. Crunch culture is common in many labs in EE departments, especially

in a lead up to conference submissions. While students can sometimes choose to participate in a crunch, a

lab-wide crunch culture is unhealthy and poses a significant challenge to students with other responsibilities

such as supporting their family. To build a more inclusive lab, I plan to foster a culture of collaboration so

that students can help each other to meet reasonable deadlines. I will also personally help students to come

up with attainable milestones, mitigating submission crunch. Crunch is ultimately a time management issue

as the extra number of hours worked in, say, 2 weeks leading up to a submission deadline could have been

spread out across the remaining weeks.

Reach Out Individually. Even within a collaborative and collegial environment, students may face personal

issues and conflicts with peers, and these may not be immediately picked up by a faculty member. Students

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should be reminded constantly of the options they have available (e.g. mental health counseling) and each

one reach out to individually for such matters to be discussed. Some students, especially those whose first

language is not English, may be less vocal and indicators of their failing mental health may go unnoticed. I

plan to pay extra attention to the well-being of such students to create an equitable lab environment. There

is also the possibility that students are in a conflict with their advisor. Students will be communicated options

to escalate this to faculty members other than their own advisor, leveling the power dynamics between the

advisor and the students.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus is not about “cutting some slack” for the less privileged, as those

that oppose the idea like to put it. Quite to the contrary, it is about acknowledging the fact that those from

humbler beginnings can eventually perform at the level of—or even outperform—their more experienced

and independent peers, only if given a chance in the first place. As educators first and academics second, it

should be our moral duty to educate and share knowledge with all those who yearn for it, and we should

strive daily to fulfill this duty.