Thriving Departments Inclusion Series
Program overview
The Thriving Departments Inclusion Series offers a range of activities that help physics communities transform local systems to make the discipline more accessible, welcoming, and collaborative.
Upcoming webinars and topical cohorts
Participants are welcome to join any topical cohort or webinar that may be of interest to them. Our collective learning webinars explore topics related to departmental culture and sustainable change. Our topical cohort series are three-week-long virtual cohort experiences that will give you deeper opportunities to explore a focused topic related to thriving departments and professional success in physics, emphasizing skill development and practical implementation. Spaces are limited.
Student success in physics extends far beyond grades and academic performance. How can departments better support students’ sense of belonging, well-being, identity development, and long-term engagement in the field?
This cohort will support participants in exploring assumptions around introductory physics within their institutional context and identify relevant stakeholders to engage in conversations to intentionally build systems-level change efforts, improve department climate, and navigate internal resistance to modernizing introductory courses.
In three, interactive sessions, we introduce a framework to help participants analyze and critique common approaches to equity work. Participants will leave with a better understanding of why typical efforts fail and a roadmap to guide more productive efforts.
Student success in physics extends far beyond grades and academic performance. How can departments better support students’ sense of belonging, well-being, identity development, and long-term engagement in the field?
Join this interactive, three-week topical cohort to explore the relationship between physics identity, departmental culture, and sustainable change in graduate education.
Through these sessions, participants will explore how this student group’s background influences their academic path and campus interactions, emphasizing the roles of advisors, professors, mentors, and administrators in creating an equitable environment.
This interactive workshop examines how equity-centered faculty communication can foster environments where all students are recognized as capable contributors to the physics community.
What does it take to build a physics department where all members feel a sense of belonging, support, and shared purpose?
Program goals
Participate in Thriving Departments Inclusion Series activities to:
- Build skills
Become equipped with practical skills, tools, knowledge, and strategies to strengthen departmental culture and day-to-day practice.
- Foster community
Foster ongoing community that provides new pathways for building capacity in thriving physics programs.
- Participate in workshops
Participate in workshops to learn through structured reflection, peer exchange, and action planning.
- Advance collective understanding
Build collective understanding and momentum around key topics by learning together with others in the physics community.
Become a facilitator to foster welcoming physics environments
Submit your proposal to serve as a facilitator for the Thriving Physics Department Inclusion Series to transform physics departments. As a facilitator, you will lead a topical cohort series – short, three-week virtual learning experiences designed to foster deeper engagement around focused topics related to departmental transformation and professional success in physics.
Get involved in the Thriving Departments Inclusion Series
Whether you’re new to this work or have prior experience, we’ll help you build practical strategies, reflect on real-world challenges, explore sustainable culture and systems change, and apply what you learn to your role.
This program is open to anyone interested in strengthening physics communities to be more accessible, welcoming, and collaborative. This program welcomes physics faculty, staff, administrators, postdocs, and professionals. Students who are passionate about creating inclusive physics communities are also welcome. Whether you’re new to this work or have prior experience, we’ll help you build practical strategies, reflect on real-world challenges, explore sustainable culture and systems change, and apply what you learn to your role.
Our programming offers a range of activities with flexible ways to learn, connect, and build capacity for thriving departments. You can engage in opportunities ranging from broad, field-wide events like webinars to our smaller, topical cohort series centered on skill development and action planning.
Participate in the Thriving Physics Departments Inclusion Series Spotlight
The Thriving Physics Department Inclusion Series seeks to highlight innovative and impactful research and programs taking place on our member campuses that advance student, faculty, and staff success, belonging, and well-being. These efforts will be featured in the Inclusion Series webinars and included in other outlets to inspire, guide, and support departments in creating spaces for transformational culture and climate change.
Stay in touch
Learn about the Thriving Departments Inclusion Series, ways to participate, and more.
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