About

What We Do

  • Discuss active and future initiatives during weekly meetings
  • Organize and run workshops for undergraduates and junior graduate students
  • Coordinate with other physics and astronomy student organizations (GradOPS, Undergraduate DIP)
  • Develop, collect, and share resources on mentoring, advising, and general equity/inclusion best practices
  • Engage with external initiatives including Strike4BlackLives, APS-IDEA, TEAM-UP, APS WiP, and more
  • For more details, see Initiatives and Meetings

Goals

  1. Provide support: To develop and sustain a supportive community for people in and around the Physics and Astronomy Department that is sensitive to issues faced by people of identities/backgrounds traditionally under-represented in our field, including those that hold minority intersecting identities.
  2. Create change: To improve the climate for members of underrepresented groups in physics and astronomy by working towards change in and around the department through critical discussion, self-education, and policy revision.

We agree with the Equity and Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy Group that, “people of all races, gender identities, sexual orientation, and levels of ability are capable of great science, and that their underrepresentation is a manifestation of structural and cultural bias.”

Communication

Meeting and event announcements, reminders, agendas, and notes are distributed via our mailing list.

Mission Statement

Diversity and Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy (DIP) is a registered student organization at UC Davis dedicated to building a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for people in and around the Physics and Astronomy Department, especially those from marginalized groups. We seek to raise awareness of underrepresented backgrounds, identities, and experiences, and effect real change to support all those who face systemic barriers to success in our department. We provide a space for students, postdocs, staff, and faculty to discuss and learn about issues of diversity, equity, inclusion; and also to advocate institutional and policy changes that tackle these issues. By fostering allyship and pushing for systemic changes, DIP seeks to support and empower all social identities in our community, with the overall aim of equitable distribution of opportunities, resources, and development.

History

In the 2014-2015 school year, the Empowering Women in Physics group was formed to address issues faced by women in the undergraduate and graduate program. In 2015, the scope of the group was extended to include underrepresented minorities and renamed Diversity and Inclusion in Physics. In 2016, a separate undergraduate group was formed and DIP turned its focus primarily to graduate students.