SEISMIC Action for STEM Department Transformation

Overview

SEISMIC Central recently received funding to host a 3-day conference from Thursday, May 30th through Saturday, June 1st in Ann Arbor, MI on “SEISMIC Action for STEM Department Transformation.” We are planning for this conference to primarily target administrators, teaching center leaders, and faculty who are seeking insights and resources related to large-scale transformation of STEM departments. Our conference has four goals:

  1. Highlight and learn from the experiences of students, faculty, facilitators, and institutional research participants in the SELC Project
  2. Publicize our learning community model for equity reporting and equity-minded professional development to institutional teams who could use them either locally or as part of a multi-institutional collaboration
  3. Continue SEISMIC’s tradition of providing networking opportunities for individuals in parallel roles across institutions at all levels, while connecting early career scholars across disciplines in a supportive environment, with a commitment to equity
  4. Facilitate high-level discussion among vice provosts/associate deans of undergraduate education regarding the need for STEM departmental reform and strategies to achieve and sustain it, including through shared proposal submissions and expanded, extended collaborative structures like SEISMIC 2.0.

During this conference, SELC participants and other SEISMIC members will share insights and resources related to large-scale transformation of STEM departments, drawing from their experiences in our collaborative projects. We will also develop plans in and around this conference for the next versions of SEISMIC (SEISMIC 2.0) and the SELC project. We are excited to use this event to both wrap up the SELC project and look ahead. 

If you would like more information on this event or wish to express interest in attending, please reach out to Project Manager Nita Tarchinski (nitaked@umich.edu). Please also contact Nita if you have any questions about access or would like to request any reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event. We ask that you make your requests by May 10, 2024.