In the U.S. the end of June brings a close to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. Wrapping up the month, we bring you a short video that addresses keeping the workplace a safe and welcoming environment for LGBT chemical engineers and others.
In this video, Elizabeth Walzel, The Dow Chemical Company’s director of Manufacturing & Engineering Technical Services as well as president of Dow Engineering Company, and Stephanie Farrell, a professor of chemical engineering at Rowan University, sat down prior to the Safe Zone Workshop to discuss diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The Safe Zone Workshop, which took place in Houston at the AIChE 2016 Spring Meeting and 12th GCPS, is a response to members’ requests at previous AIChE meeting sessions devoted to diversity in the chemical engineering workforce. It focuses on breaking down cultural biases and barriers — both conscious and unconscious — within organizations and workplaces, especially as they relate to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people, and is the latest diversity initiative organized by AIChE’s Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC).