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Towards a sustained, comprehensive, intensive approach to broadening participation in the geosciences - Diversity: The Business Case?
Citation:
Jones, B. Towards a sustained, comprehensive, intensive approach to broadening participation in the geosciences - Diversity: The Business Case? 2013 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 09 - 13, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
According to the 2010 US Census, all the minority populations posted double digit growth ranging from 12.3% to 43% over the last decade. In contrast, participation of minorities, women and people with disabilities in science fields have remained largely flat. Jointly organized by AGU, Ecological Society of America and Institute for Broadening Participation, this session will highlight programs that have successfully contributed to broadening participation, characterize dimensions critical to success within an ecosystem of learning framework, and identify major program gaps and ideas to build a network infrastructure for ongoing coordination.
Description:
Understanding perceptions and managing expectations are learnable skills that do not necessarily come with project funding. Finding life balance as one moves through a STEM career path poses unique challenges that require a certain skill set that is not always intuitive. Some of those challenges include: selecting grad or post doc positions; balancing work and family commitments; and dealing with employer/advisor perceptions and expectations. As in nature, the STEM enterprise requires multiple perspectives to flourish (necessity of peer review), and in a changing environment (e.g., budget, generations, technology, etc.), embracing diversity in thought and application may help drive the evolution of STEM in the U.S. Many Agencies and organizations have ‘workforce development’ programs that focus on preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers at the graduate and undergraduate level that focus on preparing students in the diverse disciplines that are unique to those Agency and organizational missions. While financial support certainly is critical to assist students in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and other fields, professional development is just as important to equip students with a balanced arsenal of tactics to be successful professionals in the STEM workforce of today. Success in these efforts requires an honest look at the issue of inequality in the STEM ecosystem… meaning, what initiatives have been successful in addressing the imbalance in sources of thought and application, therefore promoting the importance of diversity.
