Recruitment: ERC faculty converses with potential JHU and ERC graduate students at Visit Day 2004.	Community: The ERC Student Leadership Council organizes and supervises a robotics LEGO competition for local high school students.	Achievement: Prof. Okamura attends a conference with REU students.

Education Highlight E: ERC Diversity Strategy

A broad goal of Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST) Engineering Research Center (ERC) is to embrace the cultural, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of the U.S. in the composition of its leadership, faculty, staff, and associated students in order to assure that all talented people can pursue and receive engineering degrees and be engaged in engineering research and education. The faculty and staff of the CISST ERC have devoted the time and effort required to ensure that the diversity of the Center’s leadership, staff, faculty, and students serves as a model for diversity within our institutions and for the nation as a whole. In addition, we have provided resources and develop activities that reach far beyond the population of our center and specific areas of research, in order to make an impact on the engineering profession as a whole.
Our ERC diversity effort has increased participation of women and under-represented minorities in engineering at all levels. We plan to either strengthen or maintain our effectiveness in the area of diversity with three specific goals:

1. Recruiting and Retention. The ERC has recruited a diverse population of students to join the engineering community. Twelve women and minority students visited on ERC Visit Day; eight matriculated at JHU and five joined the ERC. They have significantly changed the face of our student body.

2. Community. The ERC has provided a sense on community, such that all students, faculty and staff feel comfortable communicating their needs and affecting change. Mentoring occurs at many levels. Our student leadership council (SLC) works with the ERC leadership to organize outreach activities, seminars and mentoring for the community. Furthermore, they have participated in a number of national conferences and meetings, which have impacted the computer integrated surgical and ERC communities as a whole.

3. Achievement. The ERC provides exceptional support to all students, faculty, and staff so that they can achieve their professional goals. There are now more women and minorities in the ERC student body, SLC and ERC Leadership. Ralph Etienne-Cummings and Allison Okamura have been promoted to Associate Director for Education and Outreach and Thrust Leader, respectively.

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