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The earth and environmental sciences are some of the least diverse STEM fields. I believe that embracing diverse backgrounds and experiences contributes to better science and learning environments, but there is work to do on many levels (individual, departmental, institutional and societal). I appreciate the mentors and opportunities I have had, and I hope that I can play a part in increasing the participation and retention of all people interested in the earth and environmental sciences.
The earth and environmental sciences are some of the least diverse STEM fields. I believe that embracing diverse backgrounds and experiences contributes to better science and learning environments, but there is work to do on many levels (individual, departmental, institutional and societal). I appreciate the mentors and opportunities I have had, and I hope that I can play a part in increasing the participation and retention of all people interested in the earth and environmental sciences.
At Northern Arizona University, I co-chaired our Diversity and Inclusion Group for the School of Earth and Sustainability (DIGS). Through this committee, I contributed to several efforts that promote justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) both within our department and more broadly:
Speaker Honoraria Fund: received a $3500 NAU Green Fund grant so our department could bring early-career speakers from diverse backgrounds to our seminar series and compensate the speakers for their time and expertise.
Unlearning Racism in Geoscience: participated in the NAU SES Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) pod, where we developed anti-racist resources for our department and participated in biweekly discussions. You can see the resources we developed here.
Field Accessibility: coordinated our departmental gear locker, which provides field gear for students to borrow at no cost. Also helped develop a "Field Tips and Tricks" guide to help students ask the right questions to feel prepared for field trips/field work.
JEDI Survey Seminar Presentation: compiled results and presented findings of our annual departmental JEDI survey through the School of Earth and Sustainability Spring 2024 seminar series.
Inclusive Excellence in STEM: helped coordinate graduate student luncheons with visiting speakers, including Dr. Jane Willenbring and Dr. Karletta Chief, in the NAU Inclusive Excellence in STEM speaker series.
Some resources related to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the earth and environmental sciences that I have found helpful or recommend:
Some resources related to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the earth and environmental sciences that I have found helpful or recommend:
For resources specific to NAU, I recommend visiting the NAU Diversity in Stem Cooperative (DISCO) webpage.
The NAU SES Diversity and Inclusion Group curates this list of resources including instructional & field resources, student resources, films/webinars and funding sources.
Picture a Scientist documentary explores the systemic biases, equity issues and harassment that many women scientists face.
Unlearning Racism in the Geoscience program compiled many useful resources and brought together discussion pods in Earth Science departments across the US to develop resources to improve justice, equity, diversity and inclusion for their departments.
The Earth Science Women's Network, which works to uplift all scientists and move the geosciences forward. The ESWN hosts many excellent webinars and also curates an earth and environmental science job board.
And a few articles I have found particularly insightful:
Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab (Chaudhary & Berhe 2020).
No progress on diversity in 40 years (Bernard & Cooperdock, 2018)
An actionable anti-racism plan for geoscience organizations (Ali et al., 2021)
Progressing towards safe, inclusive and equitable field research (Wimpenney et al., 2024)
Safety and Belonging in the Field: A Checklist for Educators (Greene et al., 2021)
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