Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reading and Outreach Group (DEIROG)
This reading group is a biweekly discussion among graduate students, postdocs, and faculty at Courant to educate ourselves on issues about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community and plan collective outreach opportunities. These are relatively informal discussions that focus on a particular topic in DEI with an accompanying reference (typically a short article, research paper, or video lecture) that is read/watched by participants prior to the meeting. Each meeting, a new volunteer discussion facilitator chooses a topic and accompanying reference(s).
While everyone is encouraged to attend, please note that this is a safe space intended for education about topics in DEI and the sharing of personal experiences, not a space for debate or contentious discussion. Before attending, please read the community guidelines and abide by them during meetings.
In spring 2025, meetings are held every other Friday in WWH 1314 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, beginning on Friday, January 31, 2025.
If you are interested in attending or facilitating a discussion, feel free to sign up on the planning document. To access this document and/or join the mailing list, please contact one of the seminar organizers:
- Bobae Johnson: bcg2017 AT nyu DOT edu
- Nandan Kulkarni: nk3499 AT nyu DOT edu
- Paco Rilloraza: fpr2017 AT nyu DOT edu
- Tea Susskind: ts5021 AT nyu DOT edu
The schedule for the current semester is as follows:
|
Date |
Topic |
Reference(s) |
Discussion leader(s) |
|
31 Jan 2025 |
Introductions and brainstorming |
N/A |
N/A |
|
14 Feb 2025 |
International student rights |
N/A |
Nandan Kulkarni, Tea Susskind, Arpita Kanrar |
|
28 Feb 2025 |
Ableism in academia |
Reporting from the Margins: Disabled Academics Reflections on Higher Education by Jason Olsen, Miro Griffiths, Armineh Soorenian, and Rebecca Porter Chapter 8 (pp. 143--158) of Ableism in Academia, "Invisible disability, unacknowledged diversity," by Carla Finesilver, Jennifer Leigh, and Nicole Brown (OPTIONAL) Introduction and Chapter 1 of Ableism in Academia |
Paco Rilloraza |
|
14 Mar 2025 |
TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
|
11 Apr 2025 |
TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
|
25 Apr 2025 |
TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
|
9 May 2025 |
TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
The schedules for past semesters are below:
|
Date |
Topic |
Reference(s) |
Discussion leader(s) |
|
13 Sept 2024 |
Introductions and brainstorming |
N/A |
N/A |
|
27 Sept 2024 |
University DEI success stories |
Arpita Kanrar, Paco Rilloraza |
|
|
11 Oct 2024 |
Outreach planning |
N/A |
N/A |
|
25 Oct 2024 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
8 Nov 2024 |
Pedagogy practices |
"Cultural Competence in the Biology Classroom" by Kimberly Tanner and Deborah Allen |
Bobae Johnson, Tea Susskind |
|
22 Nov 2024 |
Ethnomathematics |
"Humanizing Mathematics through Ethnomodelling" by Milton Rosa and Daniel Clark Orey "Two-Eyed Seeing: Mathematics and Indigenous Traditions and Cultures" by Veselin Jungic |
Grayson Davis |
|
6 Dec 2024 |
Classroom accessibility technology demo |
N/A |
Courant IT department |
| Date | Topic | Reference(s) | Discussion Leader(s) | Email Address(es) |
| 9/15/2023 | Math graduate students' role as teachers |
Beisiegel, Mary, and Elaine Simmt. "FORMATION OF MATHEMATICS GRADUATE STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICIAN-AS-TEACHER IDENTITY." For the Learning of Mathematics 32, no. 1 (2012): 34-39. |
Nick DeFilippis | nad9961@nyu.edu |
| 9/29/2023 | UMich's AP program - a DEI success story |
Mervis, Jeffrey. “Michigan’s Surprising Path to Diversity.” Science 375, no. 6584 (2022): 967–69. Posselt, Julie, Kimberly A. Reyes, Kelly E. Slay, Aurora Kamimura, and Kamaria B. Porter. "Equity efforts as boundary work: How symbolic and social boundaries shape access and inclusion in graduate education." Teachers College Record 119, no. 10 (2017): 1-38. (Pages 2-6, 14-22, and 29-31) |
Andrew Lipnick | lipnick@nyu.edu |
| 10/13/2023 | Hidden curriculum in graduate math departments |
Margolis, Eric, and Mary Romero. ""The department is very male, very white, very old, and very conservative": The functioning of the hidden curriculum in graduate sociology departments." Harvard Educational Review 68, no. 1 (1998): 1-33. |
Paul Beckman | pgb8409@nyu.edu |
| 10/27/2023 |
Culturally Responsive Collegiate Mathematics Education |
Jett, Christopher C. "Culturally responsive collegiate mathematics education: Implications for African American students." Interdisciplinary Journal of Teaching and Learning 3, no. 2 (2013): 102-116. |
Ellen Persson |
|
| 11/10/2023 | TBD | TBD | Nandan Kulkarni | nk3499@nyu.edu |
| 12/8/2023 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
TBD |
Faculty facilitators: Aleksandar Donev, Shafer Smith, Laure Zanna, Georg Stadler, Esteban Tabak.
| Date | Topic | Reference(s) | Discussion Leader(s) | Email Address(es) |
| 2/17/2023 | AMS paraDIGMS |
“Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession.” Report of The Task Force on Understanding and Documenting the Historical Role of the AMS in Racial Discrimination. March 22, 2021. (Pages 8-9, 13-18, 37-48)
Executive summary of the above.
“Graduate Programs in Moving Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession | paraDIGMS 2021” Video. (2:49 through 31:24) |
Olivia Pomerenk, Mariya Savinov | |
| 3/3/2023 | The graduate math experience for women |
Herzig, Abbe H. "Women belonging in the social worlds of graduate mathematics." The Mathematics Enthusiast 7, no. 2 (2010): 177-208. |
Nick DeFilippis | nad9961@nyu.edu |
| 3/24/2023 | The gender confidence gap in STEM |
Sterling, Adina D., Marissa E. Thompson, Shiya Wang, Abisola Kusimo, Shannon Gilmartin, and Sheri Sheppard. "The confidence gap predicts the gender pay gap among STEM graduates." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 48 (2020): 30303-30308. |
Sonia Reilly | sonia.reilly@nyu.edu |
| 4/7/2023 | The utility of the GRE in graduate school admissions and outcomes |
Feldon, David F., Kaylee Litson, Brinleigh Cahoon, Zhang Feng, Andrew Walker, and Colby Tofel-Grehl. "The predictive validity of the GRE across graduate outcomes: A meta-analysis of trends over time." The Journal of Higher Education (2023): 1-29. |
Matt Pudig | matthew.pudig@nyu.edu |
| 4/21/2023 | Masculinities in Mathematics |
Mendick, Heather. Masculinities in mathematics. McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 2006. (Chapter 1) |
Paul Beckman |
pgb8409@nyu.edu |
| 5/5/2023 | The value placed on innate (mathematical) ability as it relates to diversity and graduate admissions |
Scherr, Rachel E., Monica Plisch, Kara E. Gray, Geoff Potvin, and Theodore Hodapp. "Fixed and growth mindsets in physics graduate admissions." Physical Review Physics Education Research 13, no. 2 (2017): 020133.
Leslie, Sarah-Jane, Andrei Cimpian, Meredith Meyer, and Edward Freeland. "Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines." Science 347, no. 6219 (2015): 262-265. |
Aurora Basinski |
Fall 2022:
| Date | Topic | Reference(s) | Discussion Leader(s) | Email Address(es) |
| 9/23/2022 | Gendered effects of parenthood in academia |
Morgan, Allison C., Samuel F. Way, Michael JD Hoefer, Daniel B. Larremore, Mirta Galesic, and Aaron Clauset. "The unequal impact of parenthood in academia." Science Advances 7, no. 9 (2021): eabd1996.
The Establishment. “The ‘flexibility Myth’ about Female Academics Is Wrong.” Medium, May 7, 2017. |
Olivia Pomerenk | op554@nyu.edu |
| 10/7/2022 | Stereotype Threat |
Tine, Michele, and Rebecca Gotlieb. "Gender-, race-, and income-based stereotype threat: the effects of multiple stigmatized aspects of identity on math performance and working memory function." Social Psychology of Education 16 (2013): 353-376.
Smith, Jessi L. "Understanding the process of stereotype threat: A review of mediational variables and new performance goal directions." Educational Psychology Review 16 (2004): 177-206.
Spencer, Steven J., Christine Logel, and Paul G. Davies. "Stereotype threat." Annual review of psychology 67 (2016): 415-437. |
Marguerite Brown | mlb542@nyu.edu |
| 10/21/2022 | Queer mathematicians: creating better mathematics through inclusive practices |
Bonato, Anthony. "Queer inclusion equals better mathematics." Nature 609, no. 7928 (2022): 861-862.
Bonato, Anthony. “On Being a Gay Mathematician.” The Intrepid Mathematician, June 21, 2017.
Bonato, Anthony, Juliette Bruce, and Ron Buckmire. "Spaces for All: The Rise of LGBTQ+ Mathematics Conferences." NOTICES OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY 68, no. 6 (2021). |
Luke Peilen | lkp279@nyu.edu |
| 11/4/2022 | Trans identity and pronouns in academia |
Beemyn, Genny, ed. Trans people in higher education. Suny Press, 2019. (Chapter 14; Pages 138-139 and 146-149 of Chapter 10) |
Mariya Savinov Aurora Basinski |
mariyasavinov@nyu.edu abf376@nyu.edu |
| 11/18/2022 | What does DEI look like at the graduate level? |
Gevertz, Jana L., and Joanna R. Wares. "Fostering Diversity in Top-Rated Pure Mathematics Graduate Programs." Notices of the American Mathematical Society 67, no. 2 (2020).
|
Claire Valva | clairev@nyu.edu |
| 12/2/2022 | Racial politics of math education in the US |
Moses, Robert, and Charles E. Cobb. Radical equations: Civil rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project. Beacon Press, 2002. (Chapter 1)
Vakil, Sepehr, and Rick Ayers. "The racial politics of STEM education in the USA: Interrogations and explorations." Race ethnicity and education 22, no. 4 (2019): 449-458. |
Paul Beckman | pgb8409@nyu.edu |
| 12/16/2022 | Summary of semester and discussion on what to do next semester | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Fall 2021 and Spring 2022:
| Date | Topic | Reference(s) | Discussion Leader(s) | Email Address(es) |
| 10/22/2021 |
White mentors in academia |
Martinez-Cola, Marisela. "Collectors, nightlights, and allies, oh my." Understanding and Dismantling Privilege 10, no. 1 (2020): 61-82. |
Marguerite Brown |
|
|
11/05/2021 |
Improving underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM |
Estrada, Mica, Myra Burnett, Andrew G. Campbell, Patricia B. Campbell, Wilfred F. Denetclaw, Carlos G. Gutiérrez, Sylvia Hurtado et al. "Improving underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM." CBE—Life Sciences Education 15, no. 3 (2016): es5. |
Olivia Pomerenk | op554@nyu.edu |
|
11/19/2021 |
Queer identity in math |
Voigt, Matthew, and Daniel L. Reinholz. "Calculating queer acceptance and visibility: A literature synthesis on queer identity in mathematics." (2020). |
Mariya Savinov | mariyasavinov@nyu.edu |
| 12/3/2021 | Ableism in math |
Nieminen, Juuso Henrik, and Henri Valtteri Pesonen. "Politicising inclusive learning environments: how to foster belonging and challenge ableism?." Higher Education Research & Development 41, no. 6 (2022): 2020-2033. |
Olivia Pomerenk | op554@nyu.edu |
| 2/11/2022 | Coping methods for doctoral students |
Truong, Kimberly, and Samuel Museus. "Responding to racism and racial trauma in doctoral study: An inventory for coping and mediating relationships." Harvard Educational Review 82, no. 2 (2012): 226-254. |
Claire Valva | clairev@nyu.edu |
| 4/8/2022 | Race in mathematics teaching |
Martin, Danny Bernard. "E (race) ing race from a national conversation on mathematics teaching and learning: The national mathematics advisory panel as white institutional space." The Mathematics Enthusiast 5, no. 2 (2008): 387-398. |
Paul Beckman | pgb8409@nyu.edu |
| 4/22/2022 |
The evolving status of women in STEM |
“Nancy Hopkins, ‘the Changing Status of Women in Science at MIT: 1999-2011.’” Video. |
Brennan Sprinkle | bs162@nyu.edu |
| 5/6/2022 |
Queer and transgender graduate student experiences |
Kersey, Elizabeth, and Matthew Voigt. "Finding community and overcoming barriers: experiences of queer and transgender postsecondary students in mathematics and other STEM fields." Mathematics Education Research Journal 33, no. 4 (2021): 733-756. |
Mariya Savinov | mariyasavinov@nyu.edu |