Toni Pitts, coordinator of recruiting and special programs at Physics Illinois, has received the Leadership in Diversity Award from The Office of Diversity, Equity and Access at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This award recognizes exceptional dedication to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion via research, hiring practices, courses, programs and events.
Written by Siv Schwink
Toni Pitts, Coordinator of Recruiting and Special Programs, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignToni Pitts, coordinator of recruiting and special programs at Physics Illinois, has received the Leadership in Diversity Award from The Office of Diversity, Equity and Access at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This award recognizes exceptional dedication to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion via research, hiring practices, courses, programs and events.
Pitts started at the University in October 1999 and has been with the Department of Physics for 13 years, where she works directly with prospective, incoming, and current students. Recognizing the great asset a diverse student body is to the department’s culture of creativity and innovation, Pitts has been a champion of outreach and community-building efforts that increase enrollment of students from groups historically underrepresented in physics.
Pitts coordinates the department’s undergraduate recruitment efforts, including student visits, departmental mailings, student call bank, and student/parent visit days. Her efforts have contributed to a 70 percent increase in physics enrollments over the last few years.
She is the primary coordinator of the Saturday Physics for Everyone program, which has given her the opportunity to work directly with about 150 students. She is also responsible for special programs, such as the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. Pitts also runs the Department of Physics REU program, hosting a dozen students from other institutions at Illinois for a 10-week summer research program.
Pitts also coordinates with other programs, such as the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering and Illini Summer Academies to bring high school students to the physics department to learn more about a future in physics.
Pitts was presented with the award at the 31st Annual Celebration of Diversity on November 11, 2016.
Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.
Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.
Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.