Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at IPAM

IPAM is committed to creating a professional and supportive environment for all of its participants, and welcomes participants with a diversity of experiences, ethnicity, and background.

IPAM programs are funded both from federal sources (including funding from the National Science Foundation), as well as other sources, including gift and endowment funds.  Some of the initiatives and activities mentioned below receive funding from IPAM’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Endowed fund.

Registration for many IPAM programs is open to all members of the scientific community; certain programs are by application only.  Applications are also required for financial support. IPAM encourages applications from women and minority participants, and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin in making its financial support and admission decisions.

Equity and Diversity

IPAM encourages active involvement of women and members of underrepresented groups in all of its activities.

IPAM is a founding member of the Mathematical Sciences Institutes Diversity Initiative, a collaboration among the mathematical sciences institutes to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the mathematical sciences.

IPAM events promote community building, identification of talent, and celebration of mathematical merit. These events include the LatMath conference (most recently slated for March 2025), the Modern Math Workshop at SACNAS (co-organized by IPAM in Fall 2024), and others.

Attracting Talent: the STEM Pipeline

IPAM’s signature  Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) program introduces a talented and diverse group of undergraduate students to industry sponsored research to facilitate their career progression and growth. RIPS is primarily aimed at rising juniors and seniors in college.   IPAM’s Practicum for Undergraduate Mathematicians (PUMA) seeks to nurture mathematical talent among Los Angeles area college students who do not have the opportunity to explore cutting edge mathematics topics at their institutions. It is primarily aimed at freshmen and sophomore students.

Inclusion

IPAM strives to create an inclusive community for all our participants, speakers, organizers, and staff. Our goal is to make everyone feel welcome and supported during their visit to IPAM. These values are encoded into IPAM’s Community Agreement which can be found in our website.

Leadership and Governance

IPAM benefits from a broad representation on its boards and its scientific staff. We value diversity on both the Science Advisory Board, which reviews proposals for scientific programs, and the Board of Trustees, which governs the organization.

Services and Resources

IPAM offers assistance for workshop and long program participants with young children. IPAM’s child care resources webpage and program staff helps them locate and arrange child care. Additionally, a gift from the Berland Foundation has made it possible to offer child care grants to participants with primary parenting responsibility for young children, so that the parent can fully participate in the IPAM program.