Dr. Gruszko is deeply commited to improving the diversity and equity of physics as a field, and believes that active mentoring is a key tool in that effort. In addition to her other efforts, she serves on the the UNC-CH Physics Department diversity committee and served on the MIT Physics Values Committee during her time there.
Open Mentoring Hours
Dr. Gruszko holds open “mentoring office hours,” during which any student or postdoc can come discuss their career, coursework, or experiences in the physics community.
Mentoring office hours are back! They are held every Thursday from 9:30-10:30am in Phillips Hall 240. Feel free to drop by just to say hello or for a longer conversation. If you’d like to schedule a remote meeting or meet at another time, send Dr. Gruszko an e-mail.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholar Program
In 2020, Dr. Gruszko began a new program within the UNC-CH Department of Physics and Astronomy that is aimed at directing resources towards diversity-improvement efforts. Each year, the department will be choosing a graduate student to serve as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholar responsible for planning events and organizing resources related to improving the department’s recruitment of diverse students at the undergraduate and graduate level, ensuring a supportive and inclusive climate for students from all backgrounds, and organizing outreach events targeting underserved communities. The position comes with a $6000 yearly stipend and a $4000 event and conference attendance budget, and can be used to replace a summer TA position. The stipend is intended to recognize the volunteer work many students are already doing, not replace their research hours. The expected time commitment is an average of 5 hours per week. Details about the position can be found here.
The DEI Scholars program is currently helping to support the Grad2Undergrad Physics Department mentoring program. Contact Zack Hall (zhall3 at live.unc.edu) , the current DEI Scholar, for more information about the program.