Engineering an Inclusive Future

The College of Engineering is proud to present Engineering an Inclusive Future, a new communications platform showcasing our college-wide efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion. We strive to implement the vision set forth by Chancellor May to make UC Davis one of the most diverse and inclusive universities in the country and to “integrate concepts of diversity, inclusion, and equity into everything we do.”

These efforts highlight how much we’ve done—and how much more we will be doing—to move the College of Engineering toward “inclusion excellence,” in which all members of a community are encouraged and supported to work, study and learn in a way that allows each of us to reach our full potential. We also encourage you to present the land acknowledgement statement at any UC Davis event held on the Davis campus. Explore our efforts below, as told through the viewpoints of our remarkable faculty, staff, researchers and students.

Student Stories

Using Solar Power to Empower

Chidubem Nnaji uses scholarship award to fund his project focused on bringing accessible, clean water to his village in Nigeria and to educate residents on sustainable water practices.

Passionate to Serve

Marissa Gionet-Gonzales, biomedical engineering Ph.D. student, talks about her efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion and what motivates her in this work.

Stronger Together

Vanessa and Victoria Liera talk about why they started the Club of Future Female Electrical Engineers and what it means to be women in the STEM field.

Supporting Your Roots

Ismael Mayanja is working on new methods to dry almonds faster and more efficiently. He plans to take what he learns at UC Davis back to Uganda to help the country’s farmers.

Shooting for the Stars

Felipe Valdez shares his experience from moving to the United States alone at the age 16 to graduating with his masters and landing his dream job at NASA.

Strengthening Ceramics and Communities

Luis Sotelo is always working to make things stronger - whether it’s ceramic materials in the lab or the graduate student communities he’s part of.

A Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion

Colleen E. Bronner, an associate professor of teaching and vice-chair of undergraduate studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion at UC Davis.

Building an Inclusive Environment

Jasquelin Peña believes an inclusive environment in our college will contribute to an environment where students, staff and faculty feel supported to reach their full potential.

Making Math and Engineering Accessible to All

Harry Cheng believes that in order to have diversity, equity and inclusion in our education systems, we have to begin engaging with students when they are young.

Uplifting Voices in Engineering

Ralph Aldredge has been a leader in the college for years in an effort to lift up student voices and ensure prospective and current students with disadvantaged backgrounds can find a pathway to excel at UC Davis.

Increasing Diversity and Student Retention

Tanya Whitlow started the LEADR program to provide support and prepare first-generation students for post-graduation careers.

Fostering an Inclusive, Entrepreneurial Community

Dawn Strickland envisions a future in which students currently underrepresented in high-growth tech entrepreneurship and investing will seek out UC Davis and the Student Startup Center because of the opportunities and support they know they will find.

Serving the Underserved

Xiaodong Qian works to design bikesharing programs that improve access to jobs and essential services in disadvantaged communities.

Mentor for Nepal

Tri Dev Acharya founded the #Mentor4Nepal Initiative to help students in Nepal with skill set development and career planning.

Message from Faculty Associate to the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion

Cindy Rubio Gonzalez In engineering and computer science, we work on complex problems that require many people to solve. Studies show having diversity in the group brings multiple perspectives that lead to better solutions to complex problems. In the College of Engineering, I am guiding the college’s efforts in the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Deans Diversity Initiative by chairing a faculty advisory committee charged with guiding and monitoring efforts and progress toward achieving the objectives of the college’s diversity and inclusion plan.
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Engineering for Inclusion

Organized with the help of College of Engineering Dean and Meeting Program Chair Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, the 2020 Virtual AIChE Annual Meeting held a plenary session focused on ongoing success stories in diversity and inclusion. Chancellor Gary May participated as a featured panelist in the session, titled Meet the Leaders: Engineering for Inclusion.

Chancellor May talked about the successes of College of Engineering programs AvenueE, LEADR and Mentor Collective, as well as what the college needs to do moving forward to continue being a trailblazer in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Student Organizations

Learn about some of the engineering student organizations supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the college.

Women Machinists' Club at UC Davis (WMC)

The Women Machinists' Club (WMC) works to give everyone an equal opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an engineering machine shop. WMC is a place for women and gender minorities to learn technical skills and develop the support network they need to succeed in a traditionally male-dominated shop environment.

Learn more about Women Machinists' Club

Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM)

oSTEM at UC Davis seeks to empower LGBTQIA+ UC Davis students in STEM to succeed personally, academically and professionally by cultivating an environment and community that nurture innovation, leadership and advocacy.

Learn more about oSTEM

Engineers Without Borders at UC Davis

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at UC Davis is a non-profit, student-run organization established to help developing areas worldwide with their development needs, while involving and training internationally responsible students.

Learn more about Engineers Without Borders

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

In March 2021, Interim Dean Jeffery C. Gibeling announced the formation of the College of Engineering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee for staff and faculty. The mission of the college DEI committee is to advise the dean and college leadership team on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion as they relate to faculty, staff and students within the college.
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