The Yale BBS Diversity and Inclusion Collective (YBDIC)

The Yale BBS Diversity and Inclusion Collective (YBDIC) is committed to fostering the intellectual and personal growth of underrepresented minority (URM) students in BBS. Our central mission focuses on a three-pronged approach: student engagement, student empowerment, and advancement.

The student engagement division aims to increase the representation of URM scholars in BBS by advancing progressive recruitment initiatives coupled with student outreach to engage the next generation of minority scientists.

The student empowerment division tackles the historical legacy of patterns and practices that have led to the exclusion of minority students in STEM. Through this division, we aim to empower minority students and address and alleviate historical and psychological burden that comes with being a minority in STEM. Through the appointment of dedicated YBDIC fellows for each track in BBS, we will be able to gradually create more inclusive training environments at the department level – and we believe this will culminate into institutional change.

The student advancement division is committed to preparing minority students in BBS to successfully navigate the next stage of their academic career and transition into non-academic or academic sectors. By creating a dedicated URM faculty mentoring network and leveraging our alumni relationships, we will be able to provide URM students with models and mentors as they traverse the next stage of their academic career. Collectively, through the concerted of each branch we aim to foster individual empowerment and lasting institutional change.

The schedule below reflects a carefully curated agenda focused on the theme for the current academic year: Belonging.

YBDIC Fall Schedule 2019

Fall Mixer & Welcome Back |Thursday, October 24th

o Join us for our first Fall Mixer and meet incoming and current minority students in BBS! Take a break from the bench and come mix and mingle, listen to great music, enjoy the catered food, and play some of the raffle games. This is a great chance to meet minority students across different tracks in BBS and learn more about The Collective and our events planned for the year.

SACNAS General Meeting | October 31st-November 2nd

o This year “The Collective” will be representing Yale BBS at the national SACNAS (Advancing Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) meeting in Honolulu, Hawai’i. BBS students and members of “The Collective” are looking forward to meeting students, researchers, and faculty advocates at this society meeting.

ABCRMS General Meeting | November 13th-16th

o This year “The Collective” will be representing Yale BBS at the national ABCRMS meeting (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students) in Anaheim, CA. BBS students and members of “The Collective” are looking forward to meeting students, researchers, and faculty advocates at this society meeting.

Outreach Interest Meeting | Thursday, November 14th

o The Collective will be creating a new and unique outreach division next year with the primary mission of serving underrepresented students in the New Haven area. In the recent BBS-wide survey we administered last year, over 60% of students expressed the need to participate in outreach initiatives that directly serve underrepresented and low-income students. In this interest meeting, we’ll be revealing our potential projects and asking for your input as we design an outreach model that will allow BBS minority students to engage in meaningful and fulfilling service opportunities.

Winter Mixer| Thursday, December 12th

o Join us for our Winter Mixer to close out the year! Take a break from the bench and come mix and mingle, listen to great music, enjoy the catered food, and play some of the raffle games. This is a great chance to meet minority student across different tracks in BBS and learn more about The Collective and our events planned for the year.

First Year Seminar (FYS) “How to Choose the Right Lab” | Thursday, December 19th

o YBDIC fellows from each track (in collaboration with GradPI) will walk students through the process of choosing their thesis lab/advisor. As this is one of the most important decisions in graduate school, we believe this event will help guide students towards the best decision that fits their respective criteria. A short presentation on the parameters of choosing the correct lab will be presented, followed by an open panel from students representing each track in BBS, and then we will close with one-on-one mentoring as a follow-up.

Second Year Seminar (SYS) “How to Survive the Qualifying Exam” | by RSVP only

o YBDIC Fellows and invited faculty will be giving a general overview about key strategies to help you as you prepare to qualify, or for students in the process of qualifying. We will offer advice about maintaining balance/perspective, knowing when to reach out for help, common pitfalls to avoid, and optional follow-up sessions for students that want to connect with older students to get more advice or support.