I believe that inclusion of a diverse set of voices and identities not only makes the science we do better and more creative, but is also a moral imperative. Broadly, I see my role in DEI as a STEM professional as threefold: to learn, light, and build. Like many others, the increased visibility of racial violence and rhetoric in recent months has led me to further examine and define my roles and efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of marginalized and historically excluded people in my work as a researcher and educator and beyond.
A foundation of my commitment to DEI is my continuous role as a learner. I learn by listening to the needs and experiences of my mentees and colleagues. As an instructor and mentor in the Cary Institute’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, I learned to provide a number of different kinds of opportunities for students to communicate with me, and to ask directed questions and follow up to determine what they liked and needed from the program. During and after the program, students shared that this investment in learning from their opinions and experiences gave them a sense that we cared about their success. In my research on human-influenced watersheds, I have learned from the inclusion of diverse groups of stakeholders. As a member of the planning committee for the Fifth Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology, I helped to develop and participated in a stakeholder- and community-centered meeting. In addition to receiving NSF funding to support recruitment of diverse participants, we learned new goals and concerns when developing approaches to urban stream restoration together with stakeholders (Scoggins et al. in prep). For example, neighborhood residents viewed investment in new infrastructure as a way to work toward justice for past disinvestment in their neighborhoods and were concerned about “green gentrification” that could result from new recreation space. Learning these views early in the process allowed us to include these goals in a meaningful way in our presentation to the city. Finally, to be an ally and advocate requires that I adopt a growth mindset; I accept that acting to better DEI outcomes means I will inevitably make mistakes, but recognize that these are opportunities to continue to listen and learn. |
I also use my privilege to shine a light, making injustice and inequity more visible by calling attention to policies and practices that may harm or benefit people with less power than I have to speak up. I work to make the implicit processes and expectations of being a college and graduate student explicit to ensure all students, regardless of their background, stand on equal footing. Toward this end, I co-led a workshop on how to apply for graduate school as part of the Cary Institute’s 2020 REU program. This is one way I can help lower barriers and expose the “hidden curriculum” that may keep first generation, low income, and other diverse students from participating and feeling that they belong in higher education. In addition, I try illuminate the voices and perspectives of people historically excluded from environmental science by highlighting their work in my teaching, citing their work, and inviting a diverse group of presenters in lecture series and panels. As a faculty member, I will build a curriculum that highlights the contributions, accomplishments, and knowledge of Indigenous People, People of Color, and others historically ignored by environmental science.
Finally, I work to build inclusive spaces that empower my mentees and colleagues and bridges that help connect them to a broader network. Through collaboration with students, I build the classroom as a space in which students of all backgrounds and identities can feel comfortable, included, and supported by setting aside time to collaboratively define and discuss respect and classroom norms. Inclusion also requires recognition and accommodation of the diversity of responsibilities students have outside of the classroom, such as caring for loved ones and working. I have experience helping these students succeed by being approachable and flexible with respect to due dates and help outside of class while maintaining a high academic standard. In addition, I work to build bridges that help students from historically-excluded groups develop a sense of community, making them more likely to continue in STEM. In addition to assigning group tasks that build community among students as they work together to find answers, I will work to link students with programs like the Society for Freshwater Science's INSTARS and the Ecological Society of America’s SEEDS. These programs help students build bridges among ecologists on their campus and with students and mentors throughout the country. The SEEDS program also offers a number of opportunities for undergraduate ecologists to conduct fieldwork with other leading scientists in the field. By linking students to a diverse group of mentors and peers, I hope to expand the diversity and inclusion of student ecologists. I look forward to continuing to engage in tangible actions that put my values into practice throughout my career. Through learning, lighting, and building, I will work to make my classroom, community, and the field of ecosystem science more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. |