Equal, not separate: UNM researchers lead new NSF Center for Equity in Engineering

A group of University of New Mexico School of Engineering researchers is leading a new National Science Foundation effort to establish a center that is focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of engineering.

Donna Riley, Jim and Ellen King Dean of Engineering and Computing, is the principal investigator of "Planning a Center for Equity in Engineering at The University of New Mexico." The $1.2 million project begins Sept. 1, 2024, and is set to conclude Aug. 21, 2026.

Co-principal investigators on the project are Melanie Moses, professor of computer science and special advisor to the dean on educational initiatives; Eva Chi, professor of chemical and biological engineering and associate dean for faculty affairs in Engineering; and Vanessa Svhila, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering and special assistant to the dean for learning sciences.

Riley said that the project aims to build infrastructure for equity through leadership accountability, resource management, data and metric development, partnership enhancement, and shifting reward structures and cultures in the School of Engineering. Drawing on sense of place as a core value and strength in New Mexico, the project will advance equity knowledge and practice in engineering, forge links between cultural and engineering identities, and engage new conceptions of engineering informed by culture and place in both research and education.

"By changing how we teach to better reflect students' lived realities and local contexts, by enhancing connections between student support services and classroom experiences, by skilling up faculty and staff to better serve students of all backgrounds, and by incorporating equity into performance evaluations and reward systems, we will decrease inequity in student experiences, learning outcomes, time to degree, and graduation rates" said Riley, who also is a professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.

The project builds on an over 30-year history of UNM as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and a 50-year history of supporting minoritized students in engineering. As a School of Engineering with majority-minority enrollment, enhancing student success and closing equity gaps will diversify the engineering profession and workforce, Riley said. As more institutions become Hispanic enrolling over time with national demographic shifts, the new center and UNM will be positioned to demonstrate what equity work can look like at an HSI.

"The structural and cultural changes driven by the Center for Equity in Engineering will transform lives and communities by further increasing the realized social mobility of our graduates, and provide a replicable model for other institutions," Riley said.