By Sara Cody<\/em><\/p>\n It was a scene undoubtedly familiar to any faculty member who has been a mentor for a student. Maia, a student, discussed her experience working on a group project in one of her classes with her advisor, Hal. Only instead of taking place in an office, the scenario played out on a stage with a room full of ECE faculty observing.<\/p>\n The actors posing as faculty and student were a part of the Cornell Interactive Theater Ensemble (CITE), an initiative out of Cornell University, which combines live theater and audience participation to conduct employee education and training. Increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is a national focus. Tools such as interactive theater can be a particularly effective when demonstrating how to navigate difficult situations in the workplace and academia, such as issues of racism and sexism, by making it real and personal to the faculty.<\/p>\n According to CITE, the goal is \u201cto heighten awareness, build problem-solving skills, and provide a bridge between theory and application,\u201d with each performance tailored to fit the needs of a specific institution. The format of the program is a presentation of a scenario by professional actors followed by a discussion of observations and sharing thoughts and opinions. A unique component of the program is the question and answer session after the performance, in which the actors stay in character and field questions from the audience about their perspectives of the conversation.<\/p>\n