Diversity and Inclusion
Committed to Providing a Diverse, Inclusive, and Welcoming Environment for All Students
Diversity of culture, thought, and viewpoint is necessary for growth, in individuals and societies. Diversity expands our potential to develop solutions to global challenges and teaches us how to be agile thinkers and learners.
With a commitment to diversity, Northeastern’s College of Engineering offers several programs to welcome, support and create opportunity for all talented students from all around the world and with a variety of backgrounds. We also proactively engage younger students with several outreach programs to bring awareness of the exciting field of engineering and encourage the next generation. Our efforts are supported by a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee made up of representatives from across the college, including administrators, faculty, and students.
In 2017, the Dean of the College of Engineering signed the ASEE Engineering Dean’s Council Diversity Pledge, and in 2019 the College was selected as a recipient of the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program- Bronze level. In 2020, Northeastern became the only NACME (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering) university partner in Massachusetts. In 2021, Northeastern was awarded a $10M National Science Foundation grant to build a system and a network to increase engineering degrees among women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color) nationally.
Recent Highlights
Undergraduate Student Focusing on AI and Fairness Nominated for Prestigious Awards
With several successful AI research projects and published papers already on her resume, Maya De Los Santos, E’25, electrical and computer engineering, who has also served as president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and completed a co-op at Philips, has been nominated for the prestigious Rhodes, Marshall, Knight-Hennessy, and Churchill Scholarships.
Inventing Innovative Solutions for Neurodivergent Children To Develop Motor Skills
Students in Northeastern’s Enabling Engineering class developed a musical ball as a tool for a sixth-grade autistic child with a genetic disorder and neurological differences to help develop gross motor skills in an engaging and exciting way.
Past and Present BESS Members Shine at 50th Anniversary Celebration
At its 50th anniversary celebration, BESS recognized students, alumni, faculty, and supporters who have helped make this student organization a source of community, education, and professional development for more than five decades.
Inclusive Engineering Mentoring Initiative
ChE Professor and Chair Rebecca Willits was awarded, in collaboration with the University of Akron (PI), an $800,000 NSF award for “BPE Track 3: Engineering Academic Mentoring Collective,” which is designed to help build supportive networks of underrepresented groups in engineering, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and women.
Student Opportunity and Diversity - 2023
ri.harris@northeastern.edu
ostadabbas@ece.northeastern.edu
Computer Vision; Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence; Augmented Cognition with Medical Applications; Augmented/Virtual Reality
c.duggan@northeastern.edu
Honored with Two National Society of Black Engineers Awards
Assistant Dean Richard Harris was selected as a STEM Advocate 2019 Honoree by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Boston and received the NSBE 2019 Golden Torch Award as a Minority Engineering Program Director of the Year for 2018-2019.
Full Article - STEM Advocate NSBE AwardStrong Female Role Models Contributed to Their Success
Jennifer Morales comes from a place where feminist role models are rare and detainees are prevalent. No one, she said, expected her to get a PhD in bioengineering. Joined by fellow bioengineering PhD graduate Jaclyn Lock, she has provided support and guidance to dozens of women and girls during her time at Northeastern.
Full Article - Female PhD Student SuccessesFeatured Student Organizations
Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers
Derek Tran, BS/MS, mechanical engineering, shares his experience as co-president of the Northeastern Student Chapter of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers.
Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers
Northeastern’s SHPE is a professional organization whose goal is to enable Latinos in the New England area to pursue, obtain and develop successful careers in STEM fields.