One of the key priorities to emerge from the department’s 2021 DEI Days of Action was the need to sustain department-wide discussion of how multifaceted topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion relate to our department, the chemistry field, STEM disciplines, and society. Toward this goal, the DEI-O Committee is sustaining a continuing series of monthly DEI Forums. These forums will involve interactive, guided discussions based on articles, films, podcasts, or other media shared in the 1–2 weeks prior to each forum. These forums are open to all in our department community–including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty.
In the spirit of Meliora, we hope that these forums will help to center DEI in our ongoing departmental conversations, growth, and pursuit of excellence. Please contact Rose at c.r.kennedy@rochester.edu. to volunteer to facilitate forums, to suggest future topics, and/or to provide any other feedback, questions, or comments.
The November forum (Wednesday, November 10, 12–1 PM) will focus on Speaking Bad English with the goals of appreciating the different ways language is used to communicate in scientific settings and challenging the ways we think about “good” or “bad” English when emphasizing understandability.
This event will be held in a hybrid format over Zoom and/or in-person in Hutchison 420. In either case, please register for this event at: https://rochester.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpdOmsrTkvG9H4KfT-xQpiwTckQt_saSX3
In preparation, we invite and encourage you to listen/watch the following resources:
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- A podcast from NPR’s Rough Translation: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989477444/how-to-speak-bad-english
- A TEDx Talk from Heather Hansen: https://www.ted.com/talks/heather_hansen_2_billion_voices_how_to_speak_bad_english_perfectly
The October forum (Monday, October 25, 4–5 PM) will focus on Visualizing the Full Spectrum: Gender Identity in STEM.
This event will be held in a hybrid format over Zoom and/or in-person in Hutchison 473. In either case, please register for this event at: https://rochester.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrfu6rrz4qHtVsjejmCPJq49jyVJ2HiWfU
In preparation, we invite you to review any of the following materials and resources.
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- Wamsley, L. A Guide To Gender Identity Terms. NPR, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq (accessed 2021-10-18)
- Armada-Moreira, A.; Cizauskas, C.; Fleury, G.; Kirke Forslund, S.; Guthman, E. M.; Hanafiah, A.; Hope, J. M.; Jayasinghe, I.; McSweeney, D.; Young, I. D. STEM Pride: Perspectives from transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer scientists. Cell 2021, 184, 3352–3355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.05.043
- Haley, E. D. The Invisible Minority in STEM. Grad Hacker Blog. Inside Higher Ed. 2020. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/invisible-minority-stem (accessed 2021-10-18)
- Brusman, L. Science thinks it’s unbiased. Queer scientists know that’s not true. Massive Science, 2020. https://massivesci.com/articles/queer-science-stem-lgbtqia-bias-field-work-lab-universities-school-discrimination/ (accessed 2021-10-18)
- DeHority, R.; Ramos Báez, R.; Burnette, T.; Howell, L. Nonbinary Scientists Want Funding Agencies to Change How they Collect Gender Data. Scientific American, 2021. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nonbinary-scientists-want-funding-agencies-to-change-how-they-collect-gender-data/?amp=true (accessed 2021-10-18)
The September forum (Wednesday, September 15, 12–1 PM) will focus on Combatting Anti-Asian and Anti-AAPI Bias in STEM with three primary goals, as follows:
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- Appreciate the diversity of experiences of individuals and communities identifying with Asian, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander heritage.
- Recognize and understand the impacts of anti-Asian/anti-AAPI bias and discrimination as they manifest in the chemistry/STEM fields and broader community.
- Plan and practice responses, interventions, and individual actions to address anti-Asian/anti-AAPI bias and discrimination in these settings.
Please register for an individual Zoom link at: https://rochester.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsf-qgpjkjHN3_l6PNriJ_igcMOtXng_fa
No preparation is required to participate in this forum, but we invite you to review any of the following materials and resources.
