AAPI-LEAD News and Events

Dr. Kim credits his own experience in graduate school as a driving force behind his inclusive efforts. A native of Korea, Dr. Kim received support from his classmates when he first began studying in the U.S, be it studying for exams together or working on English grammar.

“My teaching philosophy is based on understanding of others,” Dr. Kim said. “My previous experiences help me to develop inclusive environment in my class and lab meetings.”

As a communication sciences and disorders scholar Dr. Kim works closely with a number of people with various medical and behavioral conditions on top of existing language and cultural differences. Tapping into these experiences Dr. Kim created a program to help students in his class that are struggling with the material.

“In my class, I developed a peer mentor program in which students are able to help each other in class and on exams. This program works well for both students,” Dr. Kim said.

Dr. Kim doesn’t just seek to address diversity in the classroom though, as he is working to diversify the understanding of swallowing disorders as they apply to different cultures and foods. 

“I am fortunate that all the communities that I have been part of-- graduate school at Brown, postdoc lab at MIT, and my current workplace at Ohio University-- all value diversity highly,” Dr. Lee said. “The respect for common humanity I have experienced naturally shaped my approach to teaching diverse groups of students.”

Dr. Lee’s research is focused on the acoustics and perception of speech of tonal languages. Tonal languages are languages in which the pitch used to pronounce a word can change its meaning or message. For example, the characters 伞 (umbrella) and 散 (to break up) are both pronounced san with the only difference being the tone used when saying the word.

“One question that scientists attempt to answer is, why do speech sounds vary so widely across languages, even though all sounds are produced by the same vocal tract and perceived by the same auditory system and brain?” Dr. Lee said. “In other words, diversity helps us understand universals-- what's shared by all speakers of all languages. I use this observation as an analogy to highlight the importance of respecting diversity and inclusion.” 

Dr. You shared that she makes it a point to ensure diversity is addressed when starting a new project stating:

“There's always a section of research proposals illustrating how the outreaching activities, recruitment of student workers, should emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Dr. You explained that her cultural background and experiences make her pay more attention to the importance of diversity in and outside the classroom.

“Promoting DEI for campus climate is critical to create a fair, transparent, and friendly work environment that everyone with different backgrounds can have a feeling of belonging,” Dr. You said.

Tiao J. Chang, professor emeritus of civil engineering, was another awardee recognized for their efforts in promoting diversity. Dr. Chang served as faculty advisor for the Chinese Student Association for 12 years and was involved in many multicultural events, workshops and trainings.

“Diversity prevails in nature. To be sustainable, diversity and inclusion are important for campus climate,” Dr. Chang said.