Through the efforts of many supporters, including more than 200 petitioners, as well as the approvals of the SIAM Council and Board, a new SIAM Activity Group on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) has been established.
This new activity group has two complementary objectives:
- Advocacy and support for EDI in the field of applied mathematics1
- Discussion and dissemination of best practices that will create and sustain equitable, diverse, and inclusive environments in applied mathematics
The activity group will host a variety of activities for its members and the community. These include EDI-focused panel discussions and special programming at conferences such as the SIAM Annual Meeting; interfacing with and supporting the EDI activities of other activity groups; hosting online seminars the support the activity group goals; generating a website with useful resources for members; building small-group cohorts on topics such as recruiting and hiring; develop mentoring programs; and other activities at the behest of its members. According to SIAM Activity Group on EDI Chair Tamara Kolda, “the activity group will also focus on career development issues that are increasingly important in the field and assist the broader membership with cultivating equitable, diverse, and inclusive environments.” The activity group also looks forward to working with the Diversity Advisory Committee on activities such as the long-running Workshop Celebrating Diversity (WCD), funded by the National Science Foundation.
The SIAM Activity Group on EDI is open to everyone in the SIAM community and its future leadership will be elected by the activity group members themselves. Membership will range from students who are just beginning their journeys in the field and searching for supportive environments for their career development to more senior persons who can provide support, and from persons that have long been active in promoting EDI to those who are still learning the ropes.
The inaugural officers for the SIAM Activity Group on EDI are Tamara Kolda (Chair), Juan M. Restrepo (Vice Chair), Suzanne Sindi (Program Director), and Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb (Secretary).
SIAM members with an interest in EDI are invited to join the new activity group when renewing their SIAM membership this fall, or at any time at my.siam.org.
Learn more about the SIAM Activity Group on EDI and look for additional information in this SIAM News article authored by SIAM Activity Group on EDI Chair Tamara Kolda.
1The term “applied mathematics” is intended to broadly encompass the full range of topics and research areas that SIAM promotes, including industrial, scientific, and medical applications as well as cross-disciplinary intersections with computer science, statistics, engineering, life science, data science, financial mathematics, and so forth.