The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering is proud to highlight the important work of Dr. Arash Zaghi, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Ph.D. student Connie Syharat, who are advocating for a more inclusive and innovative STEM environment by embracing neurodiversity.

Dr. Zaghi, featured in Chemical & Engineering News, has been at the forefront of research exploring how traditional STEM systems often overlook the unique strengths of neurodiverse individuals, such as enhanced creativity, pattern recognition, and rapid problem-solving. His work challenges the status quo, encouraging educators and researchers to rethink how STEM fields value and support neurodiverse perspectives. Working alongside Dr. Zaghi, Connie Syharat – a Ph.D. student and research assistant – their efforts emphasize how fostering inclusive environments benefits not only neurodiverse individuals but the broader engineering community.

As part of these efforts, the UConn CEE Include program is aimed at transforming the department through inclusive teaching practices and leveraging the unique strengths of neurodiverse students to contribute to engineering breakthroughs. The Include program fosters a supportive and welcoming community that drives progress in research, education, and innovation.

Join the Neurodiversity in Engineering community and learn more about the Include program here: https://neurodiversity.engineering.uconn.edu/

Read the full article here: https://cen.acs.org/careers/diversity/challenge-being-neurodivergent-STEM/102/i39