CPP Giving Day has ended! You can still show your support by clicking here.
Diverse Stories in STEM

Who are we?  

Diverse Stories in STEM is an interdisciplinary speaker series developed by three Cal Poly Pomona professors who aim to change the classroom environment to reflect anti-racist teaching and learning by increasing representation of scholars of color in our classes, and extending students access to diverse ways of knowing.  While many of our speakers are leaders from the academic sphere, we have a broad definition of “scholar” that extends beyond the Western academic definition, to include keepers of knowledge from a range of backgrounds. Racism hampers learning and inclusivity within higher education, with implications for retention and success for students of color. At Cal Poly Pomona, most of our students are people of color, yet the majority of our instructors are white. This project enables us to address this imbalance by inviting science experts who are also people of color to speak in our classrooms. Everyone has a story, and we want to put a spotlight on scholars of color to inspire our students!  We are scientists and believe in evidence-based interventions, therefore we will also be collecting data to assess our students' feelings of belonging in a STEM environment. 


Our first seminar
, “Harnessing Interdisciplinarity to Improve Human-Carnivore Interactions” features Dr Christine Wilkinson of UC Berkeley, who is young, Black, and a thought leader in carnivore ecology and human-wildlife conflict. 

Our second seminar: “Navigating the hive: how lessons in pollinator ecology reflect an academic journey” features Dr Adrian Fisher II from Arizona State University. Dr Fisher started his career in pollinator ecology doing undergraduate research at Cal Poly Pomona. He has Mexican and African American heritage.

How can you help? 

We want to extend Diverse Stories in STEM to next year and beyond.  While we work on getting ongoing funding, we need help to cover the costs of:  

  • Speaker honoraria - paying speakers for their time is essential for inclusivity 
  • Speaker travel expenses 
  • Catering for student lunch with the speakers.  This gives students the opportunity to engage with our speakers informally in an inclusive, low-stakes environment.  
  • Pay for student workers to keep Diverse Stories in STEM running. Our artwork is made by, and our funding campaign is promoted by Cal Poly Pomona students. Your donation will support our current student workers to keep the program running, as well as engage another Cal Poly student to prepare our program website.  

 

2
Match
Early Bird Match #1
The Bronco Fund will match up the first $2,500 given to any campaign on Day 1 (April 17 starting at 9 am), up to $250 per donor.
$2,500 MATCHED
Completed
$2,000
College of Science 50 Gift Challenge
When the College of Science receives 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 gifts, it will unlock $2,000 for each milestone for a total of $10,000. This challenge is thanks to an anonymous donor.
50 / 50 Gifts
Completed
Leaderboard
Program Leaderboard Challenge
The top 5 programs or departments with the most unique donors will split $1,000 in bonus funds for their campaign.
Rank Prize Department, Group, or Program Donors
1 $750 Reading, Advising, & Mentoring Program 97
2 $500 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 72
3 $250 Cal Poly Pomona Steel Bridge 50
4 Cal Poly Pomona Fall Bat Week! 38
5 ChemE Car 37
Ended
2
Match
College of Science $7k match
The first $7,500 given to the College of Science will be matched dollar for dollar by Bronwyn Horton, who is a grad student in the College of Science.
$7,500 MATCHED
Completed
Leaderboard
College Leaderboard Challenge
The college or group set with the most unique donors will earn a $1,000 bonus for their Dean's Excellence Fund.
Rank Prize Department Donors
1 $1,000 College of Engineering 240
2 Bronco Athletics 118
3 College of Science 110
4 Student Affairs 89
5 College of Letters, Arts, & Social Sci. 50
Ended
Leaderboard
Lunchtime Power Hour Challenge
The campaigns with the most unique donors between 11am-1pm will split $1,500 in bonus funds for their campaign.
Rank Prize Department Donors
1 $750 Men's Soccer 33
2 $500 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 27
3 $250 Reading, Advising, & Mentoring Program 17
4 Cal Poly Pomona Steel Bridge 12
5 Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) 7
Ended
Diverse Stories in STEM's Donors!
Rank State Gifts
1 CA 7
2 AA 0
2 AE 0
Don't forget to share!

Questions? See our FAQ.

Or you can contact us at givingday@cpp.edu.