Workshop Overview

This workshop will focus on supporting the success of all students, including addressing the diversity of your program's student body, evaluating and strengthening your program design, and incorporating inclusive and equitable teaching practices. Based on changing demographics, we can no longer rely on the same methods of attracting and nurturing students, as there will be fewer of the demographic groups the sciences have traditionally drawn from. Additionally, our science and society need diverse geoscientists, and our professional ethics demand equitable educational opportunities for all. Earth and environmental science programs need to appeal to a more diverse population to remain a thriving and relevant community poised to meet the needs of our society.

This workshop emphasizes understanding your current students and community, recognizing barriers to and opportunities for inclusion, developing strategies to support all students, helping them thrive in their education, and launching them onto the next phase of their life or career. The workshop offers best practices in attracting, engaging, and supporting students, and under-represented minorities (URMs) in particular, in diverse educational settings. Workshop sessions will involve activities focused on strategic analysis and planning, program design and instructional strategies coupled with opportunities to learn about relevant research and experience. Participants will assess where they and their programs are now, and plan actions to be implemented on immediate to longer-term timescales.

This workshop is designed to bring together faculty who teach in the Earth and environmental sciences to explore best practices for strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion in their courses and programs. The workshop will consist of roughly 60 faculty from a variety of institutions with a broad range of experience addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants may apply as individuals or as part of a two person institutional team.

Workshop Goals

Through the workshop, participants will:

Discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion and how they strengthen Earth and environmental sciences
Recognize barriers to and opportunities for inclusion
Explore strategies and practices that attract students, cultivate their science identities, help them to thrive in college and beyond
Apply a framework of engagement, capacity, and continuity to program evaluation and design
Develop an action plan with strategies to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion at the course and program levels
Enable networking, sharing, and collaboration within the Earth education community to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion

Dates: April 10 - 12, 2019

Participants should plan to arrive in Chicago, IL in time for the first workshop event at 5:00pm on Wednesday, April 10th. The workshop will end on Friday, April 12th at 3:00pm and participants should plan return travel no earlier than 5:00pm that day.

Expectations

By applying to the workshop, participants agree to do the following, if accepted:

Complete and pre-workshop assignments such as readings or written responses to prompts.
Prepare in advance for the workshop discussions via readings, writings, discussion, or other activities developed by the workshop leaders.
Participate fully in the entire workshop and attend all workshop sessions. Many participants will be invited to make presentations or serve as discussion or working group leaders at the workshop. Return travel should not be scheduled before 5:00pm on April 12 to allow for finishing the workshop and transportation to the Midway or O'Hare airports if necessary.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Earth and Environmental Sciences workshop is a collaboration between the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). As such, participants in the workshop are expected to familiarize themselves with SERC's Workshop Policy on Sexual Misconduct and NAGT's Code of Conduct.

Cost

There is no fee to attend this workshop, and the project grant (NSF DUE - 112533) covers participant meals and supplies during the workshop. Participants or their institutions are expected to cover the cost of travel to and from the workshop as well as lodging (a hotel room block has been reserved). Travel and lodging details are available on the logistics page.

A limited number of workshop stipends (not to exceed $500) are available on an application basis to help defray travel and lodging expenses in cases of financial need. Participants will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements and submitting receipts to be reimbursed after completion of the workshop. Late applications will not be considered. You must complete the workshop application in addition to the stipend application.

The stipend application deadline has passed.

Application and Selection Criteria

This workshop is designed for college faculty in the Earth and environmental sciences working to (or planning on working to) improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in their courses and programs. Applications are welcomed from all disciplines and all institution types. We encourage two person teams of applicants from one program, or from strongly linked programs at one institution, to support collaboration.

In selecting participants from among the applicant pool, we will seek a diverse set of participants, including representation from a variety of specialties and institution types. Preference will be given to applicants with experience in strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as to applicants interested in strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion. Preference will also be given to U.S. faculty.

The application deadline has passed.