Physics professor Scott Franklin has become the first recipient of RIT’s Gender Diversity Award. The award seeks to recognize a faculty or staff member for their significant contributions to enhance the university’s gender diversity and inclusiveness.
Franklin operates a research laboratory within the physics department and actively recruits female students to become involved. Eight female students, including four of the six current majors in the department, have worked in his laboratory. Franklin has also worked with a female high school intern and a female NTID graduate student.
“Franklin’s efforts directly relate to the long-term career development of the female students he mentors and their subsequent success testifies to this,” writes physics professor David Axon in the letter that nominated Franklin for the award. “His focus is primarily to encourage female students to develop as researchers from the moment they arrive at RIT.”
Recipients of the Gender Diversity Award are people who routinely and voluntarily make gender diversity and inclusion a priority in much of what they do or people whose major responsibilities are implementing gender diversity and inclusion initiatives, but consistently explore ways to go above and beyond expectations.
The award was presented to Franklin at the annual Women’s Career Achievement Dinner by Vice President for Student Affairs Mary-Beth Cooper, who is the co-chair of the President’s Commission on Women.