Community in BBE (CiBBE)
Community in BBE (CiBBE, pronounced sih-bee) is a working group that aims to promote a strong sense of community in the BBE division, creating an environment where members of all backgrounds can thrive.
CiBBE lab representatives host monthly informational discussions where BBE members gather to learn from each other through open and respectful dialogue. We believe collectively reflecting in this way will allow us to bridge differences, address obstacles, and grow as a community. We also work to recruit the next generation of students to BBE, organize outreach with local schools, and host community social events.
Sign up for our mailing list to keep in touch – we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events! We offer opportunities to get involved at all levels of commitment.
Our Values
Our mission is to ensure that scientists of all backgrounds can thrive in BBE. Doing our best science requires hard work from all of us. We must be able to recruit talented scientists wherever we find them, and to give them the environment they need to do their best work. We also have a mission as scientists to serve society, and we are best equipped to do this if our community includes a range of perspectives on society's most challenging problems. We believe that deliberate conversation as a community—grounded in both concrete data and lived experiences—is the best way to achieve these goals. We also celebrate one another at events that bring the whole BBE community together.
Join Our Mailing List:
- Join our mailing list to stay updated: click here!
Contact Us:
- Contact the CiBBE board: [email protected]
Upcoming Events:
- Monthly community representatives seminars, Fridays at 1 PM in Chen 100. Join an informational discussion hosted by CiBBE lab representatives, with lunch provided! Look for our monthly flyers for details.
Announcements:
We are searching for a new recruitment co-director. Contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in joining the CiBBE board!
What We Do: CiBBE Programs and Events
CiBBE lab representatives serve as points of contact for their research groups, sharing informational resources, advertising events, initiating conversations, and fostering an inclusive environment. CiBBE lab representatives also host monthly discussion seminars where BBE members gather to learn from each other's varied experiences through open and respectful dialogue. We believe collectively reflecting in this way will allow us to bridge differences, address obstacles, and grow as a community.
The CiBBE Representative role is open on a volunteer basis to graduate students (G2+), postdocs, and staff working with a specific research group. Each CiBBE Representative is trained by the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID).
Recruiting talented scientists from all walks of life requires coordinated efforts to connect with those who might otherwise overlook Caltech programs. CiBBE organizes BBE members to travel to conferences and talk with undergraduate students about our PhD programs. These include the ABRCMS, SACNAS, SHPE, and NOBCChE conferences. CiBBE also participates in Caltech recruitment events, such as FUTURE Ignited and BBE PhD interview visits. At these events, CiBBE aims to:
- Identify students whose interests align with BBE research and help connect them to labs/faculty of interest
- Highlight Caltech's unique research climate and converse with students to help them decide whether Caltech would be the right fit for them
- Follow up with interested students when the application portal opens
Interested in helping us recruit future BBE scientists? Join our mailing list and reach out to us at [email protected]! We typically solicit students to travel to conferences in the late spring to summer.
Outreach with external schools and organizations mutually benefits Caltech scientists and our broader SoCal community. Outreach allows students to meet working scientists, see them as whole people, and learn about the varied and winding paths leading to scientific careers. Outreach can also highlight exciting areas of science that extend what students have seen in the classroom.
If you would like to get involved in outreach efforts, join our mailing list and reach out to us at [email protected]!
CiBBE hosts quarterly social events to foster connection and conversation in the BBE division – all students, faculty, and staff are welcome! We believe it is important to celebrate our wins, commiserate over failed experiments, and reflect on complex issues together as a community.
We hope to see you at our next social! Join our mailing list or check the announcements section of the main page for details!
CCD programming, support structures, and campus organizations are open to anyone in the campus community, regardless of race, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual identity, and/or any other protected characteristic.