Hello Pratt Community,

I hope you all were able to enjoy some well-deserved rest over the break. As we venture in 2023, I encourage everyone to pace themselves. There can be an excitement and sense of urgency to pick back up where projects and un-responded emails were left in 2022. Please do not forget, however, to continue engaging in the good habits picked up over the break. One habit that I pulled into my routine was downloading Duolingo and learning German. I’m excited to say that I am on a 16-day streak, and although my email notifications have increased, I’m hoping that both your and my small habits will be able to continue throughout in 2023.

Best,
Karis

Karis Boyd-Sinkler
Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Engineering

On Saturday, January 21, the Pratt School of Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will host a visit to the International Civil Rights Museum. The group will meet at the Amtrak station in downtown Durham at 10 am, and then travel by train to Greensboro, to arrive around 11:30 am. For the next couple of hours, participants will explore downtown Greensboro (lunch will be on your own), and will then meet at the museum at 1:50 pm for a tour at 2 pm (the museum is two blocks from the train station). After the 90-minute tour, the group will walk back to the Amtrak station and take the train back to Durham, arriving by approximately 6 pm. The cost of the trip is being subsidized by the Pratt School of Engineering, and the cost for each participant (for the train tickets and museum entry) is $20. If you have questions, please feel free to contact David Schaad. 

Register here »

Thanks to a generous donation from Pratt Board of Visitors member Valecia Maclin E’92, the Pratt DEIC Committee is excited to offer multiple $1,000 grants for proposals from any member of the Pratt community that further our six DEIC priorities (building community through equitable behaviors; equitable workplace and professional development; experiential exposure; mentorship; outreach; recruitment and retention). The deadline to submit applications is Monday, January 23.

Apply here »

Tuesday, January 31 | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Zoom

Join us for a webinar focused on mental health, self-care and ensuring that as you do this important work in computing, you make time to ensure you are healthy and whole. This webinar will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Joy.

View event details » | Register here »

The vision of the Maclin Fund is that no eligible Pratt School of Engineering undergraduate should miss out on educational growth because of costs not covered by financial aid. Costs such as attending a conference, flying to an interview, taking a workshop or repairing a computer—to name only a few. The fund was created through the generosity of Valecia Maclin E’92. Visit pratt.duke.edu for more information and to apply »

The WIN Empowerment Fund was created through the generosity of the Pratt School of Engineering group within the Duke Women's Impact Network (WIN), whose mission is to encourage leadership and philanthropy among women and the friends of WIN. The WIN Empowerment Fund makes direct and positive impacts on the lives of financial-aid-receiving students by helping meet those expenses—such as graduate exam and application fees or professional attire. For more information and to apply, please visit pratt.duke.edu/alumni-giving/giving/win-fund.   

Tuesday, January 17 | 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm | Zoom

We will be listening to a virtual screening of the recorded December 8 Duke event: Racial Healing, Hope, and “The Solidarity Dividend.” The video recording features renowned mother-daughter duo Gail Christopher, TRHT Movement Leader, and Heather McGhee, NY Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us, in conversation with Charmaine Royal, Duke TRHT Center Director.

View event details » | Register here »

See more at pratt.duke.edu/about/diversity/resources#events

Thursday, January 12
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Virtual

Hosted by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Neurology, and School of Medicine (SOM)

Monday, February 13
5:30 pm | Washington Duke Inn

Hosted by the Duke Office for Institutional Equity (OIE)

Sunday, January 15
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm | Duke Chapel

Keynote address to be given by Mikki Kendall, bestselling author of Hood Feminism

Highlighted below is a non-exhaustive list of holidays, celebrations, and events. Would you like to have a holiday listed? Please contact us with your suggestion!

A day to bring awareness to the importance of emotions, experiences, habits, and actions and their connection to the overall health and well-being of a person.

Honors the birth of Braille's inventor, Louis Braille.

Established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States in 1950 as a way to encourage interfaith understanding.

A federal (and Duke) holiday marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Director of Diversity & Inclusion in Engineering

karis.boydsinkler@duke.edu

office hours

Members of the Pratt DEIC committee are listed at pratt.duke.edu/about/diversity/deic