Written by Alex Vendola
As seen on company websites and university homepages, including our own, much has been said about striving to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. Although progressive dialogues on this subject are productive, this is far from the end of the road. Work must constantly be done in order to make the necessary changes a reality.
In order to foster this environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion, there are many things that can and must be done, but much of this begins at the top. Leaders must recognize current problems and barriers, be open minded in their commitment to change, and adamantly implement these changes in an inclusive fashion. An example of the importance of leadership support in this endeavor is demonstrated by recent changes from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and their election process. In the past, the NAS has elected mostly white men in recognition of their academic contributions to the STEM field. The senior leadership at NAS were recognizant that their elected members were not representative of the scientific community, and that changes must be made. It was decided that instead of modifying the criteria for election, greater efforts would be made to identify and nominate scientists that have been overlooked so often in the past. Since NAS leadership implemented this change, half of the newly elected members to the NAS have been women and people of color. This was a direct result of creating a policy that allowed recognition for these marginalized groups, without compromising the expectations of scientific excellence required for nomination.
While this is only a small change, and much more must be done to uproot current practices in STEM, this is an example of a change made by leadership that recognized a current problem, and an effective solution that was developed and implemented with the support from leadership. As scientists, it is our goal to one day change the world through our work, but it is also our responsibility to create the environment best suited to do it.
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