The ACTION Against Bias committee is dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and celebrating a talented and representative NGG student body and training NGG students to recognize and defend against bias and structural inequities within their research and community.

 

NGG students, please fill out this survey to provide feedback on our mission and goals, to suggest new ideas and initiatives, and to get involved!

Recognizing that students come from different backgrounds and may have access to different levels of mentorship and support, GLIA’s Action Against Bias has developed the Application Support Program! Applicants needing extra mentorship may submit their CV and/or research statement to receive feedback from either a faculty member or one graduate student.

The purpose of this program is not to “pre-screen” applicants but to provide applicants from various backgrounds with the mentorship and resources they may lack to prepare a competitive PhD application. Once applicants respond to this form, they will be paired with a current NGG student or faculty member, who will help them develop their CV and/or research statement.

Mission Statement

  • Act: To put justice and equal opportunity focused proposals suggested by the NGG student body into action. 

  • Confront: To organize journal clubs, workshops, and educational resources for recognizing, confronting, and mobilizing against injustice within research, medicine, and academia in collaboration with the UnpackiNGG Journal Club and other NGG and BGS student groups.

  • Teach: To support GLIA’s ongoing outreach efforts that provide educational and mentorship opportunities to all members of the Philadelphia community.

  • Include:  To enrich the experience of all students within NGG, no matter their background. Support the impactful work being conducted by other BGS graduate groups and student organizations.

  • Organize: To organize events, programs, and practices aimed at recruiting individuals to NGG, considering all backgrounds and personal experiences.

  • Navigate: To create spaces for NGG students to have support and achieve success while navigating graduate school.

ACTION BRANCH Goals

Recruitment

  • Create a strong presence at NGG recruitment events

  • Actively support the recruitment of undergraduates from all backgrounds through NGG-led open house and operating the Penn NGG Application Support Program.

  • Develop and distribute application resources on NGG & GLIA websites.

  • Work with the NGG administration to increase transparency around the admissions process for applicants and highlight wide variety of backgrounds within the applicant pool.

  • Highlight the work of Penn NGG alumni, in collaboration with NeuroNet.

If you’re interested in learning more about or improving our recruitment activities, email Angelina (angelina.baltazar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu)

Education

  • Create an anti-bias and anti-racism resource library that is accessible to all NGG students.

  • Establish seminars for students and faculty to discuss relevant diversity, equity, and inclusivity topics.

  • Organize a public lecture-style event for students and faculty to discuss bias within their fields.

  • Host special events to highlight diversity, equity and inclusivity activists in academia.

If you’re interested in helping plan, attend, or speak at an educational event, email Margaret (margaret.gardner@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu)

chair

  • Structure and maintain a system for NGG students to propose new ACTION Against Bias committee initiatives and events and to obtain continual feedback from the student body.

  • Keep NGG and GLIA up to date on ACTION Against Bias activities and meetings.

  • Create a space to communicate NGG student concerns and program-level feedback to the NGG administration.

To discuss potential initiatives, feedback, or concerns, email Fernanda (fernanda.holloman@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu)