Geoscience is the least diverse discipline in science, and there have been several reasons identified for why this is the case, but still our collective attempts at solving this issue have not been successful. Our article focuses on some priorities that may improve the situation and also require major commitments, such as creating real two-way partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), advocating for hiring initiatives focused on underrepresented minority (URM) faculty, and focusing on our curricular efforts that address DEI issues.
Fortunately, thanks the efforts of many in SES, including our Diversity and Graduate Committees, we are taking steps to make a difference. These efforts include a new SP 21 course on Science and Society (e.g., addressing implicit bias, mentoring networks) by Drs. Audrey Sawyer and Liz Griffith; inviting URM to speak in our colloquium; successfully becoming a member of the AGU Bridge Program that focuses on recruitment of URM to graduate programs through mentoring; established and maintained OSU SACNAS chapter; developing a faculty hiring plan focused on increasing diversity in SES; launching a mentoring effort aimed at the middle School level to improve the pipeline – the Earth Sciences Mentoring and Education (ESME) by Dr. Jill Leonard-Pingel; removing the GRE requirement from grad applications; revising our Code of Conduct; and many other initiatives.
Continue reading the January Alumni News Notes
