In 2014, when Associate Dean of Student Affairs Anita Farrington began dreaming of ways to increase not only the number of underrepresented minorities at NYU Tandon but to stress the importance of diversity throughout the engineering workforce, she hit upon the idea of bringing to the school a wide array of STEM movers and shakers for an all-day series of talks and panels. They would share ideas, inspire the students, and prove the value of diverse, collaborative teams.
The first NYU Tandon Diversity in STEM Summit was held the following year, and it immediately became one of the most eagerly awaited annual events on the school calendar.
The 2017 Summit was held in November, and its theme, “Shaping the Future,” represented both a beacon of hope and a concrete goal given our current political and cultural climate. Speaker after speaker reaffirmed that all of the students in attendance had vital parts to play in the future, as the engineers, scientists, and technologists who will be creating smarter cities, cleaner energy, a more secure cyberspace, and other