Our Mission:  To actively advance education, research, and service to the scientific community by promoting student diversity and equitable opportunities for optics students. This mission will benefit students, educators, scientists and engineers, members of the optics community, and citizens of the state of Arizona by ensuring that optics students, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity, are encouraged to excel in optics and to gain recognition as professionals.

Our Vision:  To create an exceptional learning environment; an unparalleled educational destination for the world's most promising optics students and to foster student success by encouraging proactive growth of a diverse optics community.

Diversity Initiatives

• MESA:  Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement
  Optical Sciences students participate in this statewide program to encourage minority and low-income middle and high school students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math. 

• NASEP:  Native American Science and Engineering Program
  The University of Arizona partners with nine other states in an attempt to effect a systematic change in the hiring patterns of Indigenous Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

• Research Experience for Undergraduates:  Hooked on Photonics
  A ten-week summer research program for undergraduates focuses on creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary, hands-on opportunities for underrepresented minority groups and women.

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates:  Integrated Optics for Undergraduates
  Summer research in photonics materials, devices, and communication systems at UA, UCSD, UCLA, Berkeley, and Columbia.

• Summer Technology Institute
  This pilot program targets Native American and Hispanic students to interest them in the field of optics and introduce them to career opportunities in optics.

• Women in Optics
  An OSC-student-run program to establish outreach opportunities to introduce girls and young women to the science of optics.  The program also serves as a forum for women in optics to communicate and exchange ideas.

Diversity Scholarships

• CIAN Young Scholars Program Scholarships
  CIAN research faculty members participate in University of Arizona and UC Berkeley programs to interest prospective next-generation faculty members and students.

• Marathay Family Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship
  A need-based award to support undergraduate students from India or of Indian descent.

• Mary Jo Lake Memorial Fellowship
  A recruitment incentive for outstanding female graduate students to Optical Sciences

• John Tipton Scholarship in Optical Sciences
  A need-based scholarship to support undergraduate students.

• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Scholarships 
  The Scholarship works to increase the number of African American, Hispanic American, and Native American students receiving PhDs in mathematics, natural science, and engineering fields at the University of Arizona. 

Diversity History

• Summer Research Program for Undergraduate Students
  August 2009:  Students from the United States and Mexico, most from underrepresented populations, come to UA to participate in 10 weeks of intensive research training.

• MESA Saturday Academy
  November 2008:  We open our doors to 200 middle school students and their families -- for most of the students attending, this was the first time they had heard of the field of optics.

• Workshop on Best Practices of Recruitment and Retention in the STEM Fields of Underrepresented Students
  August 2008.  A teaching event for UA faculty members and staff.

• Optics Outreach Day 
  July 2008.  Students from two schools and the Pascua Yaqui Technology Summer Camp, visit Optical Sciences.

• IBM's Excite Summer Camp
  July 2007.  One of our famous Kaleidoscopes for Everyone workshops -- this one especially for middle school-age girls.

• Tucson Prep Proyecto Access
  July 2004.  A college preparatory program targeted to low-income, high-achieving middle school students.

Diversity at the University of Arizona

• Please visit http://www.arizona.edu/home/diversity.php