The UW Bioengineering Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee
The UW Bioengineering JEDI committee is coordinating with other committees to develop mechanisms to increase our department’s level of expertise on anti-racism and inclusive teaching and mentoring, to provide similar expertise to our trainees through curricular changes and workshops, to redesign our hiring, admissions, retention, and support processes to remove structural as well as individual biases, and to engage in transparent communication with the Bioengineering community that includes opportunities for feedback.
2025-2026 Objectives/Projects:
- JEDI Communications
Foster transparent communication and feedback within the department, including reviewing and updating the JEDI website. - DiversiTEA
This program, open to all, seeks to identify and dismantle (address) barriers to representation within BioE. Our major focus is to organize quarterly DiversiTEA Chats, which are conversations with snacks and Boba Tea that aim to strengthen the participants’ sense of belonging and to increase the visibility and support for members who are underrepresented in BioE. - Outreach
We aim to increase participation in Bioengineering by expanding winter and spring school visits and strengthening partnerships with K–12 communities across Washington. Through collaboration with UW’s BMES, AVELA, SWE, and ELEVATE, we strive to ensure that students, especially those historically underrepresented in STEM, see UW Bioengineering as an accessible and welcoming pathway into the field. - Mentoring for Current UW Students
This program, open to all, provides mentorship opportunities to BioE students. Students may request for mentorship for a variety of needs which can include career guidance. Mentors will be senior students or graduate students who have more experience in the Bioengineering academic experience. - Graduate Experience Project
Identify opportunities to improve the graduate student experience as identified in the research mentor survey.