Members of the CALS community are invited to join the second session of the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee’s 2020 Lunch and Learn series. Please RSVP following the directions below.

“Biological Systems Engineering Women’s/All Inclusive Student Shop Night to Promote Inclusion”
Presentation by Kody Habeck and Rebecca Larson
March 9, 2020
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Steenbock Library BioCommons, Room 110 A/B

Kody Habeck is the associate instrumentation innovation instructor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering (BSE). He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison focusing on power and machinery, machining, and fabrication. He now runs the BSE shop, instructs courses, and aids in a number of research projects. Rebecca Larson is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

In developing equity and diversity goals in BSE, the number of females and other underrepresented groups within the department as faculty, staff and students was highlighted as an area for targeted improvement. In order to increase inclusion in shop, a historically male-dominated area, Habeck and Larson began a women’s shop night to increase the presence of women in the shop and build confidence in their field. Over time, the program has grown not only in size but, upon recommendation by Habeck, to be all-inclusive and include a variety of students. The program has increased the number of students working in the shop area and the diversity of those students. While the program is highly successful and students report great satisfaction, it does require a significant amount of time and resources from the individuals who run the program. In this presentation, we will cover some of our goals as well as some of the difficulties encountered along the way and would encourage others to evaluate how to increase the diversity and equity programs within their departments as well.

Please RSVP at https://go.wisc.edu/8lpvw7 by Monday, March 2 so there can be an accurate count for lunch, which will be provided by the Department of Agronomy. All are welcome.

To see videos and access materials from previous EDC Lunch and Learn sessions, visit: http://equitydiversity.cals.wisc.edu/lunch-and-learn/

Future 2020 Lunch and Learn dates are as follows (all from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.):

• April 13
• September 14
• October 12
• November 9