Safe Zone Workshop (Invited Talks)

The environment at AIChE meetings--and especially, the environment in our colleges, universities and workplaces—are key influences on each student’s progress and each engineer’s productivity and career development. Research shows that diverse organizations experience more learning, more creativity and develop better quality products and services. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people often have a more negative perception of an organization’s climate than other engineers. Safe Zone ally training is an interactive workshop for the professional community in which participants build knowledge and skills to create a more inclusive and affirming environment for LGBT colleagues. The workshop will help us better understand LGBT concepts, develop an awareness of our own biases, and learn how to reduce discrimination and the often unconscious expression of heterosexual privilege, while exploring aspects of engineering culture that act as barriers to the participation, visibility and equality of LGBT students and engineers. The workshop will be followed by a special reception for LGBT members and their allies.