LEAPS: A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting

Scientific societies play an important role in engaging young scientists and creating opportunities that lead to STEM careers. Because of this role, these societies can help the nation increase the participation of students of color and other underrepresented groups in science and science careers. At the same time, scientific societies also present barriers to inclusion because their leadership, policies and practices have solidified over decades without consideration of the need to be inclusive and welcoming of underrepresented groups.

This project develops a process to begin to examine the practices, procedures, and policies within scientific societies that may create an atmosphere of non-inclusivity, non-engagement, and an unfriendly environment for underrepresented groups.

An inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) audit tool will be developed for the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS), an affiliation of nine scientific societies (American Fisheries Society; Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography; Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation; Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society; International Association for Great Lakes Research; North American Lake Management Society; Phycological Society of America; Society for Freshwater Science; and the Society of Wetland Scientists), the majority of whom work in the biological sciences. The IDEA audit tool will be constructed to be able to identify (1) policies and procedures that perpetuate status quo culture, policies, and procedures (2) specific barriers to broadening participation to diverse populations, specifically Black and Indigenous people of color, communities from Tribal Colleges, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and (3) practices and programs that have been successful within the CASS societies.

Leaders from the CASS member societies will engage with leaders from societies and organizations that advance the participation of underrepresented students in STEM to develop the audit tool over the course of a year and a series of facilitated meetings and workshops. This process will include an in-person workshop meeting at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM), as well as a series of remote meetings both before and after the in-person meeting.

JASM2022 is expected to be the largest gathering of aquatic scientists to date and thus an opportunity to engage diverse societies and their leadership in collective planning. The development of the audit tool will be the first step in creating cultural change, by helping CASS societies determine where barriers to participation exist. The audit tool and a compilation of current best practices for engaging members of underrepresented groups in aquatic sciences will be disseminated widely on our websites, through the NSF INCLUDES network, and conference presentations and publications.

The IDEA audit tool, as well as lessons learned from the development process, will be shared with other societies wanting to broaden participation among their professional members.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.