Diversity, Inclusion, Access and ME
Diversity, Inclusion & Access
in Mechanical Engineering
As the largest department on the Mines campus, the Mechanical Engineering Department is a community that welcomes, respects and supports people of all backgrounds. Cultivating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive department is critical to our education and innovation missions as well as to our future success as one of the top departments in the Nation.
Just as the best and brightest minds and ideas will come from all walks of life, the challenges our graduates will solve will require input from diverse perspectives. To reach our goals, we need to work together to make this a community that listens to, learns from, and respects one another.
Here is a summary of the D. I. A. & ME Activities
- Additive Manufacturing High School Visit hosted by Craig Brice and Joy Gockel and the Adapt Lab
- Denver Arts Street Organization – Ski building workshop
Here is a summary of the D.I.A. & ME
- Creating and promoting opportunities for all in our program to learn how issues around diversity, access and inclusion impact the constituents of our program.
- Holding our constituents accountable to respect the diverse experiences of our department (students, faculty, staff)
- Creating space for fostering dialog and building a community of inclusion and support.
- Including representation within our ME program that mirrors the diverse population of Colorado through expanding the pipeline of and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff
- Inderstanding that inclusion is socio-economic and expands beyond gender and ethnicity to include first gen students and other represented groups
- Increasing the pipeline with outreach to community college and K12 local schools
Join us at our department gatherings:
April 18th 5-7pm in Spruce Treehouse and will be a board game night
The role of the Ombuds People at Mines ME s to work with individuals and groups to identify problems and resolve unproductive interactions that are or could become barriers to a conducive learning and growing environment.
Reach Out! Questions? DI&A Concerns? Come talk to us.
The Undergrad ME DI&A contact is Magnus Loken lokenmagnus@mines.edu.
Join the conversation!
Have an issue or problem (related to DI&A or otherwise) that you’d like to discuss with a trusted department member?
Please reach out to one of our local DI&A representatives:
For Undergraduate students: Kelly Rickey
For Graduate students: Leslie Lamberson or Xiaoli Zhang
For Faculty & Staff: Steven DeCaluwe
Meet the ME DI&A Committee
Andy Osborne, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Andy Osborne, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Hello, I’m the point of contact for graduate students in ME for help with DI&A issues. Please email me at to make an appointment or stop by my office BBW370A.
Kelly Rickey, Teaching Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
DEIA Personal Statement
Dr. Rickey comes to Mines from NASA where she worked on metrology and electronic packaging projects. During graduate school, she studied heat transfer at the nanoscale level with a focus on photovoltaics and thermoelectrics. Dr. Rickey received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. She is passionate about teaching and problem solving, and looks forward to helping students become top notch engineers throughout their studies at Mines.
Leslie Lamberson, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Leslie Lamberson
Hi Orediggers, I’m a point of contact for the graduate students in ME for help with DI&A issues. Please email me at les@mines.edu for a meeting. I’m currently an Associate Professor in the department conducting research on dynamic behavior of materials and have worked in the aerospace industry.
Steven Decaluwe, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Hi, Oredigger family! I am chair of the department’s DI&A committee and am passionate about making this a place where all feel welcome, celebrated, and able to succeed. I am an Associate Professor in thermal-fluid sciences, at Mines since 2012. Please reach out (decaluwe@mines.edu) or stop by my office (BB W410B) if you want to talk.
Xiaoli Zhang, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Hello, I am a point of contact for the ME graduate students if you need any help with DI&A related matters. My contact is xlzhang@mines.edu. I am an Associate Professor in robotics and automation.
DI&A GOALS
- Attract, retain and graduate a thriving and diverse student body
- Attract, retain, develop and promote a thriving and diverse employee community
- Cultivate an inclusive campus culture that promotes and celebrates inclusion and achievement
- Inspire shared responsibility, participation and accountability for DI&A efforts across the Mines communit
Diversity, Inclusion & Access
Overview of Mines DI&A 2020-2025
Diversity Inclusion & Access
Stragetic Plan
What can Mechanical@Mines do for you?
In 2024, the year of our 150th anniversary, we will celebrate Colorado School of Mines’ past, present and possibilities. By celebrating and supporting the Campaign for MINES@150 you will help elevate Mines to be an accessible, top-of-mind and first-choice for students, faculty, staff, recruiters and other external partners. When you give, you are ensuring Mines becomes even more distinctive and highly sought-after by future students, alumni, industry, and government partners over the next 150 years. We look forward to celebrating Mines’ sesquicentennial with you and recognizing the key role you play in making the MINES@150 vision a reality through your investments of time, talent and treasure. Give now