Will America maintain its standing as a global leader in science and technology invention and innovation?

Not without adapting to radical changes in the multinational business environment, according to studies from the top minds in business, government, and academia.

This means creating new, agile management models and business leadership that capitalizes on cross-cultural, multi-country collaboration. It means cultivating America's most underutilized yet fastest growing potential workforce for science, engineering and technology: women and ethnic minorities.

In short, America must produce a diverse cadre of innovators who will lead global science, engineering and technology in the new business environments of the 21st century.

Today's business, government, and academic professionals must take action to:

• Develop the potential of women and underrepresented groups for America's workforce in the new global economy



• Foster inclusive working and thinking relationships in all our education and business environments



• Leverage differences in gender, race and culture into creative energy and organizational strengths

To succeed, business, government, and academic communities must learn from each other and work to mutual benefit at this critical moment.

This is why Tufts has launched an aggressive initiative that seeks to create unique partnerships among the nation's premiere business and government leaders and academic institutions to build the national model for sustaining America's science, technology and engineering leadership in the 21st century.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusive Leadership in Engineering and Science (DILES) is pragmatic as well as forward-thinking - immediate benefits to business will be paired with long range research and education programs to carry us well into this new century.

Hundreds of studies from the nation's top minds, foundations and business centers have delineated the challenge. Now is the time to act, guided by these recommendations.We will focus on the three primary fronts: creating a diverse American workforce; creating leadership for and understanding of multicultural business environments; and building national educational models for the future.

Tufts understands the problem but more importantly the potential.We bring not only commitment but a unique constellation of resources to the table.

Join us.

Tufts is ready to act

Tufts is prepared to begin work now with business, government and academic leaders to transform studies and statistics into an action plan for preparing and sustaining the more diverse American workforce that will thrive in the new global economy.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusive Leadership in Engineering and Science at Tufts will evolve only as the result of a joint venture among business, government and academia.

Our overarching goals are twofold:

1. Provide the information, research, training and forums for strategic planning that business needs today and that can be put to work immediately.



2. Create national models for the long-term education of tomorrow's diverse science, engineering and technological workforce.

For business strategy and planning:

• Establish a clearinghouse of the most current research and information on all the issues related to the new diverse technological workforce and its role for American business in the global marketplace.



• Offer conferences, symposia and speakers series that will bring together the top minds in this field.



• Help to create training programs for midcareer professionals.



• Work with the nation's premiere business, government and academia leaders as members of the center's advisory board to create new programs and curricula best suited to changing workforce needs.

For educating and sustaining the workforce of the future:

• By its own example, Tufts will create a national model for colleges and universities in how to attract and sustain a diverse faculty in science, engineering and technology dedicated to creating, maintaining, and refining programs and curricula that encourage a more diverse student population to pursue advanced degrees in these fields.



• Through innovative programming, Tufts will research how best to engage and sustain K-12 students' interest in education and careers in science, engineering and technology.



• Tufts will provide support for cutting-edge research and pedagogical innovation in all areas related to this new multinational, cross-cultural work environment.



• We will disseminate information and encourage collaborative projects on issues and best practices with peer institutions and scholars to help establish similar programs beyond Tufts.

Tufts' unique commitment and resources

Tufts' reputation as an institution infused with a global perspective - that uses scholarship to address our world's most pressing needs - and as a research university with unusual strengths in the sciences is well known and earned every day.

Equally, Tufts' commitment to pairing cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge research with the finest innovations in teaching sets it apart from nearly all of its peers. These factors position Tufts among the finest resources in the nation for driving a national agenda for a new diverse workforce.

Why Tufts?

Tufts already has the following educational programs underway:

• Computer Science, Engineering and Math Scholarships: Funded by the National Science Foundation, these scholarships bring talented students with financial need to Tufts, with priority given to women, underrepresented minorities, and the first-generation in their families to attend college. In addition to their scholarships, these students meet weekly for mentoring, exposure to faculty and student research, and an introduction to the many resources at Tufts.



• First Year Scholars: Incoming undergraduates interested in math, science or engineering who are: members of groups that are underrepresented in math, science or engineering; the first generation in their families to attend college; and/or have had limited opportunities to experience math/science/engineering-related educational activities can come to Tufts early for two summer courses that help them get a jumpstart on their four years at Tufts.



• Health Careers Opportunity Program: The program has three components that encourage students to pursue careers in health fields. These include summer programs for junior high and high school students; fulltime tutoring and mentoring for undergraduate students; and opportunities for graduate students at Tufts School of Medicine to mentor younger students.



• Success in Science: This faculty and administrators working group has been assessing the achievement of Tufts undergraduates in basic math, sciences and engineering courses and discussing programmatic responses to disparities by race and gender that have been identified.



• "NERD Girls": A program that encourages women undergraduates to pursue engineering degrees and careers and also has them reach out to K-12 students.



• Tufts Engineering "Next Steps": This National Science Foundation funded project has Tufts graduate and undergraduate students in engineering and computer science partner with science and mathematics teachers in ethnically and socio-economically diverse public school districts to enrich curriculum and serve as role models.



• Internship Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: This summer program brings deaf and hard of hearing students to Tufts to do research with faculty in the Physics Department.



• Center for Engineering Educational Outreach: By providing workshops, institutes, conferences and summer programs for children and teachers, as well as by developing tools and curricula, the program analyzes how children and teachers learn engineering and how to create optimal learning environments for engineering education.



• BEND: Bringing Engineers into New Disciplines: A short term institute for undergraduate students in the quantitative sciences to train in several aspects of biomedical research, including nutrition, genetics, and medical imaging. The goal is to bring engineers and scientists together in multi-disciplinary teams to solve new problems in health-related biomedical research that have not been traditional avenues for bioengineering.