Biomedical engineering professor and department chair David Shreiber was named a 2020 recipient of the Rutgers University Leaders in Faculty Diversity Award, which recognizes excellence in diversity and inclusion. The award is sponsored by the Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes (CACP) and honors faculty, students, and staff from across the university. Shreiber, who was nominated by faculty colleagues, was recognized for his commitment to diversity and inclusion in the STEM fields.
According to biomedical engineering associate professor Nada Boustany, who helped prepare the nomination submission, “Dr. Shreiber has long recognized and supported the value of approaching research and education from multiple perspectives and he has worked hard to include undergraduate and graduate students from different backgrounds and programs in his laboratory.”
During his tenure at Rutgers, Shreiber has been involved in a number of programs that advance diversity. Since 2012, he has served as the director of a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), that trains underrepresented students in cellular bioengineering. In that time, the REU has hosted 71 students at Rutgers, nearly half of whom are underrepresented students, including women and first-generation college students. The program has attracted students from 29 states and Puerto Rico.
Shreiber also joined with Evelyn Erenrich, Rutgers’ chief diversity officer, to launch the Summer Undergraduate Pipeline to Excellence at Rutgers (SUPER-Grad) fellowship program to recruit diverse graduate students from summer undergraduate research programs, such as the REU in Cellular Bioengineering. Since 2014, the SUPER-Grad program has supported 26 students and has been an important feeder for training programs as well as an effective recruiting tool.
As department chair, he puts a spotlight on the importance of maintaining an inclusive culture throughout the school’s biomedical engineering community. His proactive approach to recruiting biomedical engineering faculty candidates includes requiring applicants to include a specific narrative statement describing how they have contributed to diversity and inclusiveness, which is given considerable weight in the selection process.
“As we face a national STEM shortfall, the need to offer a progressive experience that is attuned to and reflective of a diverse society is among our core values at Rutgers Engineering,” says Thomas Farris, dean of Rutgers School of Engineering. “We are very proud of David’s contributions. He is helping lead important initiatives and programs to foster and support an inclusive community not only within Rutgers, but also to yield positive outcomes beyond our campus,” Farris explains.
The School of Engineering is an acknowledged national leader in promoting and supporting diversity and inclusion and was recently designated an exemplar institution for diversity recognition by the American Society of Engineering Education.