Broadening Participation in Environmental Biology-Exploring What Works

Suny College At Buffalo, Buffalo NY

Investigators

Abstract

A workshop will be held in Washington DC to identify and widely distribute best practices for recruiting and retaining a diverse community of scientists in the fields of evolutionary biology, ecology and systematics. Doing so is important because the representation of individuals in these disciplines does not reflect that of the general public, and this discrepancy is projected to increase. A diverse workforce is essential to attract the best talent and to foster innovation. The workshop will be built on a foundation provided by an extensive online community that the organizers will create beforehand. Participants will include a wide spectrum of stakeholders: students, professors, university administrators, professional societies, and federal agencies. All materials will be made publically available through a "wiki" that focuses on the theme of "What works?" Specifically, the organization of the workshop is unique for three reasons. First, it will rest on the collective input of virtual communities, established and facilitated by the workshop organizers to discuss and document best practices, challenges, needs, and opportunities. Because this will occur before the workshop, participants will arrive at the workshop thoroughly prepared and highly committed. Second, it will be designed around the principles and practices of Appreciative Inquiry, which focuses on the simple and positive question: What works? Appreciative Inquiry has not been used previously in the Biological Sciences to help broaden participation. Third, it takes a proximate and practical approach by focusing on what individuals can do; institutional change, which is ultimately necessary, will presumably follow from successes at the individual level. Dissemination is provided by extensive online resources that will be created and made publically available. Scalability is fostered through establishment of networks of individuals with common interests and involvement in broadening participation.