A Culture of Respect

In the College of Science, we embrace a culture of respect, where each person is valued for their contribution and is treated equitably. We oppose racism. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination. We strive to have a diverse membership, where each person is trained and mentored to promote their success.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice

The College of Science supports a culture where each person feels they belong, regardless of race, color, religion, religious creed, genetic information, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran or disability status. We celebrate the diversity of our community, and we seek to expand representation to further excellence. We commit to be a College where members act with respect, trust, collaboration, and communication, and where inappropriate behavior is reported and acted on without fear of retaliation. Download our Principles of Community here.

We stand against racial violence and systemic injustice against Black people. We stand for anti-racist policies, equity, and justice within our College and across Northeastern University. We denounce the insidious disrespect of women that furthers gender inequity in science. We will work towards the following strategies in support of these principles:

  1. Cultivate a Culture of Respect and Collaboration
  2. Build a College that is Representative of Society
  3. Foster a Connected Community

In June 2022, we submitted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan to the Northeastern Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We have identified specific milestones to support our objectives and strategies, and we will review them quarterly. We emphasize that this is a dynamic and evolutionary process, and we invite your input and participation. We cannot rely on those individuals most impacted to fix the problem.

View the COS Equity Dashboard

Join INVEST! A new Junior Faculty Program

Faculty positions: no postdoc needed

Our innovative INVEST program is a new approach to faculty hiring. If you are completing your PhD or at an early stage of your postdoctoral training, you may be interested in this accelerated pathway to tenure-track faculty appointments.

Find out more about this program and how to apply.

Learn more

Want to contribute to the COS Culture of Respect? Send us your suggestions and ideas.

Faculty and Student Organizations

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COS Student Diversity Advisory Council (COS SDAC)
Provides support for underrepresented students in the sciences. It helps members academically and professionally, and it provides postgraduate resources and a sense of community. COSSDAC also hosts science enrichment community programs.
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Northeastern’s Student Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)
Northeastern's AWM chapter hopes to foster a communal environment within the math department that empowers women and other underrepresented gender identities in STEM to conduct research, experience co-op, study abroad, and more. The core o...
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Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering (ADSE)
Focuses on increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in academia, industry, and government. Local, graduate student-run organizations reach out to students and scientists of all ages and backgrounds.
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Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE)
Assists in the professional and personal advancement of women in science and engineering at NU. The GWISE mission is to identify and break down the barriers limiting the representation of women of all backgrounds in STEM careers.
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Graduate Students of Color Collective (GSCC)
Builds community for graduate students of color at NU by promoting education, professionalism, and civic duty. The GSCC fosters student, staff, and faculty relationships to establish a campus home for higher education at Northeastern.
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Marine and Environmental Science Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Mission is to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism through continual education and action, and to foster and maintain a culture that supports the well-being of all community members.
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Math Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Mission is to foster an inclusive and welcoming climate for people of all backgrounds and identities. Strives to support marginalized groups by promoting policies that are against racism, sexism, ableism, and against general inequity.
COS Equity and Respect Facts and Figures
Of Faculty, Staff, and Student Respondents

in the COS Climate Survey reported they felt respected by colleagues and peers

16 COS faculty, Staff, and Students

Trained in Mental Health First Aid in Fall 2020

Years of Commitment

From the COS Mathematics department, who sponsor the Bridge to Calculus Program for Boston Public Schools

Of Student Respondents

To the COS Climate Survey report feeling included in discussions and activities in the classroom

Of COS Climate Survey Respondents

Agree that our community is accepting of different ideas

Student Organizations in the College of Science
Student Representatives

On the College Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee

50% Women Speakers

For Fall 2020 departmental seminar series

Have you experienced discrimination or harassment?

 

Meet the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee

Nick Takacs, Biology, Faculty Representative

Diviya Ray, Biology, Faculty Representative

Morline Gordon-Grier, Biology, Staff Representative

Patti Hampf, Biology, Staff Representative

Jackson Griffiths, Biology, Graduate Student Representative

Chiara Blake, Biology, Undergraduate Student Representative

Donte’ Lewis, Biology, Undergraduate Student Representative

Otonye Braide-Moncoeur, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Faculty Representative

Robin Riley, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Staff Representative

Hann Tu, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Graduate Student Representative

Jacqueline Smith, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Undergraduate Student Representative

Tony Iarrobino, Mathematics, Faculty Representative

Elizabeth Qudah, Mathematics, Staff Representative

Tanishq Bhatia, Mathematics, Graduate Student Representative

Alia Yusaini, Mathematics, Graduate Student Representative

Kaiya Clark, Mathematics, Undergraduate Student Representative

James Dennedy-Frank, Marine and Environmental Sciences, Faculty Representative

Elizabeth Magee, Marine and Environmental Sciences, Staff Representative

Jay Krithivas, Marine and Environmental Sciences, Undergraduate Student Representative

Toyoko Orimoto, Physics, Faculty Representative

Nancy Wong, Physics, Staff Representative

Nica Jane Ferrer, Physics, Graduate Student Representative

Alexandra Rodman, Psychology, Faculty Representative

Reyyan Bilge, Psychology, Faculty Representative

Jo Hyun Kim, Psychology, Graduate Student Representative

Ivy Cao, Psychology, Undergraduate Student Representative

Adam Cooper, Linguistics, Faculty Representative

Alyn Gamble, Library, Staff Representative,

Melissa Rubock, Graduate Administration, Staff Representative

Rachel Jones, Finance and Operations, Staff Representative

Sima Kalmens, Faculty Affairs and HR, Staff Representative

Caroline Leary, Marketing and Communications, Staff Representative

Nikki Ziner, Marketing and Communications, Staff Representative

Linda Ayrapetov, Undergraduate Advising and Enrollment Management, Staff Representative

Rachelle Reisberg, Undergraduate Advising and Enrollment Management, Staff Representative

Fabiola Meyer Garza, Undergraduate Advising and Enrollment Management, Staff Representative

Sha’Day Hart, Undergraduate Advising and Enrollment Management, Staff Representative

Equity Programs to Promote Equity and Respect

Bob Case Academy: Bridge to Calculus (Mathematics)

This alliance between Northeastern University’s Mathematics Department and the Boston Public Schools (BPS) prepares students in rigorous mathematics, and therefore for college and professional success.  The classical Bridge to Calculus program, launched by Northeastern’s Professor Emeritus Robert (Bob) Case in 1994, grew from 25 students to well over 100 students in recent years. Over the last 10 years, it has significantly increased the number of Black and Hispanic students taking the AP AB Calculus course and exam in the Boston Public Schools. The classes are taught on Northeastern’s Boston campus by experienced Boston high school teachers, with Northeastern faculty and undergraduate mentors offering collaboration and providing support. In addition, Bridge to Calculus has been an inspiration for the Math Department’s Calculus Field Day, a competition in April at Northeastern’s Boston campus involving teams from many Boston public schools. Typically, over 100 students from BPS participate in this event and in 2019, Mayor Walsh also attended. The Bridge to Calculus program has prepared students from marginalized groups for college acceptance and college success, and it has supported Northeastern’s efforts to recruit a diverse undergraduate population, including women, in STEM areas. Beginning this year, Bob Case Academy: Bridge to Calculus will build upon the traditional six-week summer enrichment program, including a year-round online Question Center (homework help for Calculus or Precalculus courses) for students, as well as individual tutoring by NU faculty, students, and community volunteers.

More on Bridge to Calculus

BEACHES: Bridging Each Applicants Chances for Higher Education Success (Marine and Environmental Sciences)

Despite improvements in gender diversity in the geosciences in the last 40 years, ethnic and racial diversity has remained stagnant at the PhD level. Thus, efforts to increase diversity at the undergraduate level have not translated to the graduate level; additional programs are needed that specifically target the transition from undergraduate to graduate school. The BEACHES bridge workshop invites underrepresented minority and first-generation college students who are interested in graduate programs in marine and environmental science to spend three days at Northeastern, where we discuss career opportunities requiring graduate degrees in these fields, work with students to hone their graduate school applications, and prepare them for the application process. In the process, we pair participants with both faculty and peer mentors involved in the program. Because a single mentor is unlikely to meet all of a students’ needs, establishing these tiered mentoring networks is critical to continued student success. The goals of BEACHES are to increase the likelihood that students who participate in the program will apply to graduate school, and to enhance the probability that they will be accepted into a graduate program. We anticipate that a small portion of BEACHES students will apply to and attend Northeastern University for their graduate degrees, helping to increase representation in our graduate programs.

NU-SCI: Northeastern University Skills and Capacity for Inclusion (Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology)

Chemistry professor Mary Jo Ondrechen and Biology professor Wendy Smith are leading the Northeastern University Skills and Capacity for Inclusion (NU-SCI) project that focuses on training faculty on inclusive teaching and mentoring skills to include non-traditional students in the science majors and in the process of scientific discovery. Funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), NU-SCI aims to increase interest and success in the sciences for students who are underrepresented on the basis of their race/ethnicity as well as first-generation college students, using Northeastern’s renowned experiential learning approach as an educational foundation to the program. The project holds teaching circles to further faculty education, promotes course design and content to create a more inclusive environment, develops strategies for more effective instruction and mentoring of nontraditional students, and offers monthly gatherings for students in the Foundation Year Program that welcome, engage, and foster the success of nontraditional students. “First-generation students and Black, Indigenous, students of color are underrepresented in our science majors and we need to do a better job of including the whole talent pool,” said Ondrechen. “Improvements in curricula and in teaching and mentoring practices will create a better learning experience for all students.” Northeastern joins 23 other institutions across the country who were funded by the first round of HHMI’s 2017 Inclusive Excellence Initiative—a program aimed at helping increase capacity of colleges and universities to effectively engage all students so they can be successful in science, especially non-traditional students and undergraduates who enter four year institutions through nontraditional pathways.

Learn what you can do to promote anti-racism at Northeastern University
Read about President Aoun’s Action Plan for Northeastern University

COS Faculty and Staff Award Winners 2023

Celebrating College of Science Faculty and Staff Excellence