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Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee

The Department of Statistics Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Committee was formed in Fall 2022 with representatives from our faculty, students, postdocs, and staff.  The purpose of this committee is to advance our shared goals for promoting greater equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.  This resource page features our departmental EDIB Mission Statement, current goals and strategies, committee members, contact information, as well as several other helpful contacts for support and for reporting incidents.

EDIB Mission Statement 

The Harvard Department of Statistics embraces the diversity of our community of students, teachers, and researchers of statistics and data science by respecting an individual's dignity and by opposing systemic injustice.  The department believes that diversity and inclusivity are essential to advancing statistical methodology and theory, and to disseminating statistical knowledge through teaching and advising.  By creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive department, we can serve our community with better, fairer, and more impactful work.  We fully recognize that a strong and thriving community requires that every individual across all identities has access to resources and opportunities permitting them to realize their full potential.  The Harvard Department of Statistics therefore aims to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment that values the needs of each individual by supporting them regardless of the path they take.

EDIB Goals and Strategies

We have established a set of core goals and strategies for accomplishing these goals to guide our collective efforts over the coming months:

1.  Increase EDIB Awareness and Skills. Strategies:

  • Provide training (e.g., training for faculty on Harvard’s anti-bullying policies);
  • Organize community discussions about EDIB-related issues (e.g., a town hall for undergraduates)

2.  Support Community Outreach Towards Historically Underrepresented Groups.  Strategies:

  • Host Data Adventure Day: designed to be an annual event for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to explore statistics and data science through hands-on activities and a college panel;
  • Collaborate with the Harvard Ed Portal on Project Teach: statistics faculty volunteer to teach lessons geared towards middle school students;
  • Collaborate with Biostatistics Department on StatStart: a summer intensive program for high school students to learn data science and computing, and to complete and present research projects related to data science

3.  Foster a Culture of Belonging and Inclusivity.  Strategies:

  • Support students in creating and sustaining affinity groups (e.g., Graduate and Postdoc Women in Statistics Group that meets every month to offer social and career support);
  • Support more social events (e.g., pumpkin decorating and ice cream socials);
  • Develop strategies for more inclusive and collaborative classrooms;
  • Invite guest speakers to discuss statistics topics tailored to an undergraduate audience

EDIB Committee Members

Faculty: Kelly McConville, Chair; Mark Glickman, Science Liaison for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity; Samuel Kou; Julie Vu; Morgane Austern

Concentrators:  Grace von Oiste, Kenny Gu, Audrey Chang, Dinan Elsyad, Elizabeth Crawford

PhD Students: Hans Gaebler, Nathan Cheng

Postdocs: Shuangning Li, Hsin-Yu Lai

Staff: Michelle Monestime; Emily Palmer, Lorna Blocksma, Dayanara Torres

Contact Us

If you have a question, issue, or suggestion related to EDIB, please reach out to us at stat-edib@lists.fas.harvard.edu, or to the following departmental contacts: Sam Kou (Chair of the Department); Jun Liu and Susan Murphy (Join Directors of Graduate Studies); Kelly McConville and Joe Blitzstein (Co-Directors of Undergraduate Studies; Mark Glickman (Director of Masters Studies); Michelle Monestime (Director of Administration).

Resources (outside of the Department)

Reporting Incidents

Receiving Support

  • Counseling and Mental Health Service (CAMHS), (confidential) services include:
    • 24 hour Cares hotline for mental health access and students in distress
    • Workshops and support groups (including a graduate support group): contact the group leaders for more information.
    • 20-min Phone Consultation to determine your counseling needs and support finding a counselor
  • Sexual Harassment/Assault Resources and Education (SHARE) in the Office for Gender Equity, (confidential) services include:
    • Trauma-informed counseling
    • Education and support groups
    • 24/7 confidential hotline 
    • Community referrals
    • Support in deciding whether or how to connect with a Title IX Resource Coordinator; information about the University’s formal complaint process; information about the legal process (e.g. how to file a police report)
  • Ombuds Office  (confidential): Provides support for any conflicts or difficult situations that you would like to talk through with someone outside of the department.
  • Chaplains  (confidential): They represent many of the world’s religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions, and share a collective commitment to serving the spiritual needs of students.