students working in lab

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.

Diversity Events


Recent Highlights

Northeastern Empowered Leading Saudi Arabian Data Scientist

Interdisciplinary Engineering aluma Kholoud Khateeb, PhD’15, is helping transform health care in Saudi Arabia as a female data scientist, and she says she owes her success to Northeastern.

Engineers Week Speaker Discusses Creating Inclusivity through Psychological Safety

As part of the National Engineers Week celebration, chemical engineer and DEI leader Mark McBride-Wright spoke at a fireside chat with COE Dean Gregory Abowd about creating inclusivity and leading teams by creating a psychologically safe environment in the workplace and beyond.

Engineers Week Women in Engineering Panel Discusses Unique Challenges Facing Women in Engineering

During Engineers Week, a panel of faculty and students shared their experiences and advice on their education and career journeys as women engineers. They offered advice to future female engineers to empower them and help them grow, including the importance of faculty and peer mentors.

2024 Goldwater Scholarship Nominees

Maya De Los Santos, electrical and computer engineering, Kaitlyn Ramesh, bioengineering, and Madeline Szoo, chemical engineering and biochemistry, were nominated for the 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship—a highly competitive, merit-based award for outstanding students in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering who are interested in pursuing careers in research.

“Through the Women in Engineering Program and organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, our students receive a continuum of formal and informal support.” Rachelle Reisberg, assistant dean of Enrollment Management and Retention
“Whether they’re working on solar panels in Tanzania, doing groundbreaking biomedical work at Harvard Medical, or founding organizations to include LGBT people in STEM, women engineers are phenomenal.” Elizabeth Wig, BS in electrical engineering
“Everyone here knows me, and knows what I’m trying to achieve—and they help me reach my goals. I don’t think I would have that experience at another school.” Courtney Johnson, BS in chemical engineering
“By opening new pathways to welcome nontraditional students, we’re creating an engineering workforce of the future that is more innovative and more creative.” Richard Harris, assistant dean, and director of the Northeastern University Program in Multicultural Engineering (NUPRIME)
“The more young people we can reach, and the more moments of discovery we can create, the greater the chances that a future STEM professional will find his or her place in the world.” Claire Duggan, director, Center for STEM Education

Student Opportunity and Diversity - 2022

53%

New First Year Women

19%

Under-represented Minority First Year

98%

Under-represented Minority First Year Retention


Honored with Two National Society of Black Engineers Awards

Rich Harris receiving award

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 Award

Strong Female Role Models Contributed to Their Success

Jennifer Morales and Jaclyn Lock

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 Successes

Featured Student Organizations

Derek Tran (right)

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.

shpe

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.