Our commitment to AOD

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is committed to promoting inclusion and openness across a variety of dimensions, including race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability status, and national origin. These commitments are in accordance with our accreditation bodies (APA, PCSAS). The department adopts a proactive approach to promoting and supporting diversity in all aspects of our research, teaching, and service. Accordingly, the department supports committees and initiatives that are specifically intended to support minority and first-generation students, including: The Access, Opportunity, and Diversity (AOD) committee, composed of faculty, staff, and students; the Bridging the Gap in Psyience (BGP) program, designed to provide a safe, inclusive, and collaborative space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) graduate students and postdocs; the Our Collective Brains (OCB) program, designed specifically to support first-generation and underrepresented undergraduate students; and the Gateway To Psyience program, which supports BIPOC and other students in local high schools.

In addition, many of our faculty actively contribute to the mentoring of students from underrepresented groups in our laboratories through the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) and the Iowa Biosciences Academy (IBA). Our NIH-sponsored Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Training Program (BBIP) also provides training opportunities for graduate students from diverse backgrounds.