Planning Grant: Collaborative Research: The WinG Collective: An initiative to support Women of Color in the Geosciences

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Climate change and environmental issues disproportionately impact low-income communities of color, who are poorly represented in the Geosciences and environmental fields. In particular, women of color (WOC) are currently the largest group in California and projected to become the largest demographic in the United States, yet are amongst the most poorly represented in the Geosciences. This combination of issues forms a crisis in social justice, contributes to rising inequality, and hinders creativity and innovation needed in the environmental and climate workforce. The project leaders will create the WinG Collective, a Women of Color in the Geosciences network that provides community, belonging, access, advocacy, and resources to overcome the obstacles to their success. Initially, the WinG Collective will focus on the University of California and survey the experiences of WOC in the Geosciences. Then, the principal investigators will design and implement a workshop to provide professional development and a supportive community for WOC in the Geosciences. Finally, they will summarize the findings and share with their campuses and science community while also strategizing how to expand nationally. There are a multitude of studies that document the inadequacies of the current academic system for people of color and proposals targeted to improve retention of historically minoritized students. This planning project is a grassroots approach to discern issues specific to WOC in the Geosciences. The activities align and leverage existing programs; bolster mentoring and training; and explore radical change that promotes the long term success and health of WOC in the Geosciences. The WinG Collective will serve as an incubator for scientific research and collaborations while also championing agents of change with advancing leadership capacity, extending vertical and lateral networks, and guiding best practices for community engagement. The project leaders seek to advance WOC in the Geosciences with a holistic emphasis that includes scientific endeavors and a mentoring network that spans the vertical structure of academia and parallel systems within the University of California system, with potential for longer-term adaptation nationally. Lessons from this planning grant are ones that are relevant to support and advocacy of WOC in the Geosciences nationally. 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.