The President’s Committee on Diversity hosted the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Luncheon on January 17, 2016. In addition to celebrating Dr. King’s work, the event honored Mines community members who are exceptional in their appreciation for diversity and understanding its value on campus.
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What started as a small breakfast gathering in 2004 to celebrate diversity and community on MLK Day has turned into a well-known campus tradition 13 years later. Since 2008, Mines has held a breakfast and an awards ceremony recognizing select members of the Mines community. Members of the community are nominated for the MLK Recognition Award, and the MLK Day Planning Committee selects the winners.
This year, the inspirational “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. was broadcast on the monitors in Friedhoff Hall after the recipients received their awards. The moving speech was an ideal way to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his movement towards equality and diversity.
The 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition Award Recipients are:
Holly Eklund, Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Eklund was nominated by a fellow AMS faculty member for her extensive involvement in the Multicultural Engineering Program. She was described as “not only a mathematics instructor, but also as a friend and mentor to the students in the program.” Eklund is also a valued CSM101 mentor and faculty advisor for the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers student chapter.
Iker Madera, a senior in Geophysics was nominated by a fellow student because of his “interest in reaching out to children of underrepresented groups to encourage their involvement in STEM.”
Blake Jones, a junior in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering was nominated by a fellow student for his goal is to increase recognition of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (oSTEM) on campus. He was described as an “advocate for LGBTQ rights, education and inclusion,” as well as “the only student on campus certified to give SafeZone training.”
Nominated by a faculty member, students Hannah Grover, Jessica Deters, Jacquie Feuerborn, Izabel Aguiar and Joanna Clark were selected for their work as executive officers of the campus club, Equality Through Awareness. The goal of the club is to address issues facing minorities in STEM, including gender, ethnic and racial minorities.
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| To encourage reflection on Dr. King’s powerful words, attendees were asked to complete the sentence “I have a dream…” on postcards, filling in their own desires for equality and social justice. |
Contact:
Leah Pinkus, Communications Assistant, Colorado School of Mines | lpinkus@mines.edu
Ashley Spurgeon, Editorial Assistant, Mines Magazine | 303-273-3959 | aspurgeon@mines.edu
Agata Bogucka, Communications Manager, College of Earth Resource Sciences & Engineering | 303-384-2657 | abogucka@mines.edu
