Faculty of Math celebrates first Equity and Inclusive Communities Awards

On August 12, award recipients and supporters gathered to celebrate the Faculty of Math’s first Equity and Inclusive Communities Awards. The awards, which were determined by a review committee of faculty, staff, and students, are part of the Faculty’s commitment to the Equity and Inclusive Communities Principles, which was launched earlier this year.

“Folks are often engaging in this work on top of their studies, their research, and their day-to-day duties and responsibilities,” says Jeremy Steffler, the Faculty’s Equity Officer. “Highlighting this work is key to ensuring it is valued, not taken for granted. Ultimately, of course, true success will be judged by how we learn from their excellent example and how these awards prompt us to consider how we can all contribute to a more equitable and inclusive Faculty.”

The full list of award recipients is as follows, along with non-exhaustive highlights from their nominations: 

• Group category: Women in Mathematics – particularly for the WiM Directed Reading Program, which encouraged women and other underrepresented genders in Mathematics to consider pursuing research.
• Employee category: Ghazal Geshnizjani (research associate professor of Mathematical Physics) – recognized for her outstanding efforts to encourage a culture of support and mentorship during her term as chair of WiM, including building and maintaining critical community and peer support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Student category: Jointly awarded to Maliha Ahmed (Applied Math PhD student) and Stéphanie Abo (Applied Math PhD student) – Abo for her contributions to developing and championing the Equity and Inclusive Communities Principles, Ahmed for her mentorship in the Directed Reading Program and support of graduate students through an equity lens.

The review committee also put forward two Honourable Mentions:

• Employee category: Zack Cramer (Mathematics Undergraduate Group lecturer) – for his efforts to celebrate and bring visibility to the contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ mathematicians
• Student category: Remington Zhi (Pure Math student and MathSoc president) = for their advocacy for gender-affirming care at Waterloo and leading efforts to secure necessary coverage for gender diverse students.

“Supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is such a community effort,” says Cramer. “Even people who weren’t visibly involved in the campaign – people who helped create the social media campaign, who shared posts, who came to events – were so important in making a difference on our campus.”

“I am deeply grateful for this award, which makes me feel seen and encourages me to continue working toward the vision of an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive Faculty for everyone,” Abo says. “This award is a reflection of the incredible support and engagement of many active people within our Faculty. To me, it has not felt like work: rather, it’s about giving back to an environment where we work, socialize, and grow together, making it better for all of us, as diverse and unique as we are.”

To learn more about the principles and how they’re being applied to the Faculty of Mathematics, visit the Equity and Inclusive Communities website.