BRIDGE Week
Building Relationships, Increasing Diversity, and Growing Engineers
BRIDGE Week is an annual event to recognize the importance of diversity in STEM, discuss current challenges, and learn how to foster a safe and welcoming STEM environment for all backgrounds and identities. This initiative started 2018 as a collaboration between the National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The BRIDGE Banquet is the cornerstone event of the week. Student leaders select a SEAS alum that has made an impact on society and paved the way for future generations of engineers. To submit ideas for future BRIDGE Week events or honorees, contact diversity@seas.harvard.edu.
BRIDGE WEEK 2023
BRIDGE WEEK 2023 will be held April 3-7. To suggest ideas for future BRIDGE Week programming or honorees, please contact diversity@seas.harvard.edu.
Apr 3rd Alumni in Industry Panel:
12p – 2pm Maxwell-Dworkin G125
Join SEAS alumni in this panel about their experiences at Harvard and beyond. Learn from our panelists about their champions and the communities that helped them thrive. Leave with take-aways for your academic and professional careers.
Apr 4th Increasing Diversity in Thesis Writing:
2:30pm – 4:00pm Maxwell-Dworkin 119
SEAS Seniors will introduce their thesis research topics and the value of thesis writing. Topics include Resources for Research and Writing; a Thesis-Hack-a-Thon; and a Group-Share-Out.
Apr. 5th Lunch Break Seminar
Seminar: 11am - 12pm SEC 2.122, with lunch following
Bogdan Dragnea earned his Diploma in Physics from the University of Bucharest in 1992. A Ph.D. scholarship from the French government allowed him to join the laser-matter interactions Physics graduate program at the University of Paris at Orsay. After a postdoc in near-field optics and spectroscopy with Steve Leone at JILA in Boulder, he joined the Chemistry Department at Indiana University Bloomington in 2001. There, he set up a laboratory that developed methods for the study of in-vitro virus self-assembly and of virus-inspired materials. The latest discovery is a room temperature super-radiant phase transition occurring in virus-templated fluorophore arrays. Other interests include the study of thermodynamically stable phases at nanoscale. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, alpine climbing, and building and sailing small wooden boats.
Apr. 5th SEAS ODIB Banquet:
6pm – 8pm SEC 1.402
The BRIDGE Banquet is the cornerstone event of BRIDGE week. Student leaders at SEAS honor a SEAS alumnus or Harvard faculty member that has made an impact on society and paved the way for future generations of diverse engineers. Sponsored by the DIB Fellows in the Office for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. 2023 Keynote Speaker Demba Ba.
Professor Ba's interests lie at the intersection of theory, computing, and data, with diverse applications that range from computational neuroscience, multimedia signal processing, and network science. He received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2004 and the M.Sci. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA in 2006 and 2011, respectively. He went on to work as a Postdoctoral Associate with the MIT/Harvard Neuroscience Statistics Research Laboratory, where he developed theory and efficient algorithms to assess synchrony among large assemblies of neurons. In 2006 and 2009, he was a Summer Research Intern with the Communication and Collaboration Systems Group, Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA. In 2009, Professor Ba and his collaborators developed the first algorithm that could use sound to inferm the goemetry of a room. This pioneering work has numerous implications for the design of smart soundscapes and for speech enhancement systems in highly-reverberant environment.
With a performance by Mariachi Veritas de Harvard https://mariachiveritasdeharvard.com/
Apr. 6th Student Affinity Organizations Mixer:
6pm – 8pm SEC LL2 Atrium
Student clubs celebrating diversity in STEM deserve to be celebrated. The ODIB office invites all members with STEM Diversity in their mission to come mix and mingle over fun games, lavish prizes, and more.
Apr. 7th “Coded Bias” Film Screening & Discussion:
12pm – 3pm SEC 1.321
Released in January, 2020, Coded Bias, explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini's discovery of racial bias in facial recognition algorithms. In this film, Dr. Buolamwini interrogates biased algorithms, surveillance, and machine learning.
BRIDGE WEEK 2022
Alumni Panel (Hybrid)
Mon, April 4th | 5PM - 6PM | [NEW] SEC 3.302
IBM Researcher · Kleinfelder Engineer · Microgrid Systems Modeler & Analyst
Come hear from SEAS alumni in different industries on the realities of DIB at the workplace, and get tips on how to navigate industry as a URM or how to be an ally!
DIB@SEAS Workshop (In-person)
Tue, April 5th | 4PM - 5.30PM | SEC 2.330
Organized with the Harvard College Engineering Society (HCES)
What channels are there to improve DIB at SEAS?
Come hear from DIB Committee members and Fellows about behind-the-scenes work. Join small groups to workshop a roadmap and action plan for DIB at SEAS!
BRIDGE Banquet
Wed, April 6th | 6PM - 8PM
Keynote Speaker: Professor Raquel Hill
Professor and Chair of Computer and Information Sciences, Spelman College
The BRIDGE Banquet is the cornerstone event of BRIDGE week. Student leaders at SEAS honor a SEAS alumnus that has made an impact on society and paved the way for future generations of engineers.
Women in CS Panel (Hybrid)
Thu, April 7th | 12.30PM - 1.30PM | SEC 3.301
Organized by Harvard Women in Computer Science (WiCS)
Come hear from WiCS seniors and alumni about the amazing work they have done with WiCS while at SEAS, and how they went on to become founders and product directors at tech companies!
IMMAW: Voices for Diversity in STEM Speaker Event
Fri, April 8th | 12PM - 1PM | Virtual
Featuring Professor Gerald Torres, Professor of Environmental Justice and Law at Yale University
Come join us for a conversation with Professor Torres on how his work impacts minorities and fosters greater inclusion.
BRIDGE WEEK 2021
Tuesday, April 6th
The Intersections of STEM and Social Justice Series @ 12 PM EST
Dr. Renata Konrad, Associate Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Title: "Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts and the Potential of Engineering and Analytical Techniques"
Presentation Objectives:
· Identify opportunities for engineers and mathematicians to aid policy makers, service providers, law enforcement personnel, and other researchers counter human trafficking activity.
· Acknowledge challenges of modeling in these environments.
· Highlight the benefits of incorporating mathematical models into the decision-making process through illustrative examples.
A Virtual Fireside Chat w/ Dr. Jhacova Williams @ 6 PM EST
Dr. Jhacova Williams is an applied microeconomist focusing primarily on economic history and cultural economics. Her previous work has examined Southern culture and the extent to which historical events have impacted the political behavior and economic outcomes of Southern Blacks. Recent examples include historical lynchings and the political participation of Blacks; and Confederate symbols and labor market differentials. She has also done a series of projects investigating the role of structural racism in shaping racial economic disparities in labor markets.
Wednesday, April 7th
LGBTQAI+ in STEM Panel Discussion @ 12 PM EST
Recent studies indicate that many students and academics in STEM fields who identify as LGBTQ+ do not feel comfortable or safe to be out in their work environments, and experience harassment at higher rates than other individuals. This event aims to raise the visibility of and celebrate LGBTQA+ people in STEM. In this panel discussion, we’ll hear from STEM professionals and academics about their academic and career path and their insight on challenging inequities for LGBTQAI+ people in these spaces.
Thursday, April 8th
SEAS Alumni Diversity Panel @ 12 PM EST
The Office of Career Development invites you to hear from four recent graduates about their experiences, achievements, and challenges they’ve faced in the professional world.
Engineering Clinical Trials for Diverse Populations & Equitable Outcomes @ 3:15 PM EST
Panelists will discuss the role of scientists and engineers in the design and development of equitable vaccine clinical trials. The panel will address how specific populations have been historically marginalized in the drug development process, and how critical planning and implementation can help ensure better outcomes for all.
Friday, April 9th
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the U.S.: Past and Present @ 3 PM EST
This panel will explore the history and impact of anti-Asian racism within the U.S., particularly in connection with the Model Minority Myth and STEM. Panelists will also touch on the history of the creation Asian American as an identity group, and tackle both its positives as a solidarity term and issues concerning the numerous different ethnicities it is meant to represent.
Past BRIDGE Banquet Honorees:
- 2018 Honoree: Stephanie Wilson, SB '88, NASA Astronaut
- 2019 Honoree: Michi Garrison, AB '83, VP of Research & Development, Intervene, Inc.
Past BRIDGE Events:
- Out in STEM
- STEM for Social Justice
- Diversifying STEM Graduate Education Workshop for Undergraduates
- The Lean, Agile Evolution of Assistive Technology
- Microaggressions and Implicit Bias Workshop