Establishing Profound Links
The DEEP Connections Lecture Series, a programme open to members of the Scripps and UC San Diego community, is focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences. The series aims to foster inclusive and equitable environments through expert panels, educational programmes, and professional development.
Resources and Initiatives
The series brings together experts to share insights and practical strategies to advance DEI goals. This includes sessions focused on overcoming systemic barriers, promoting equitable opportunities, and creating cultures of belonging where diverse voices are valued. Partnerships with educational equity organisations, such as SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity), support ongoing professional development and anti-bias curricula, helping cultivate inclusive spaces for learners and professionals alike. Webinars and speaker series provide ongoing platforms for discussion, training, and sharing best practices related to DEI, emphasising intersectionality and accessibility alongside fairness and inclusion.
Core Discussions
The conceptual framing of equity as fairness in access, treatment, and outcomes—particularly as it relates to identities intersecting with systemic factors—and inclusion as creating environments where individuals can be their full authentic selves without suppression are central themes. Recognition that genuine DEI work involves deep, ongoing, and sometimes uncomfortable self-reflection, systemic analysis, and culture change—not merely performative actions or compliance—is also emphasised. Addressing myths and misconceptions around DEI, such as the notion that it undermines meritocracy or is performative, is crucial.
Community Building and Belonging
Emphasis is placed on cultivating belonging alongside diversity, equity, and inclusion—nurturing environments where everyone feels welcomed, safe, and empowered to contribute their perspectives meaningfully. The encouragement of mutual benefit and disruption of inequality patterns to ensure growth at all levels, which is crucial in scientific disciplines traditionally lacking diverse representation, is also key.
While the DEEP Connections Lecture Series specifically focuses on earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences, these general principles and initiatives echo broader DEI movements across academia and industry, utilising multi-disciplinary approaches and organisational support systems to create lasting positive change.
Notable Lectures
The April 2021 lecture featured Dr. Marshall Shepherd from the University of Georgia, Athens, and Dr. Amelia Moore from the University of Rhode Island. In the February 2021 lecture, Dr. Hendratta N. Ali provided resources such as the I Hollaback website and the SERC AdvanceGeo website. Dawn Wright provided presentation slides and the link to her compass project in her lecture.
In the March 2021 lecture, Dr. Asmeret Berhe provided resources such as the AdvanceGeo partnership and the statement "Hostile climates are barriers to diversifying the geosciences". Billy Williams shared the AGU Ethics Policy, the AGU D&I Strategic Plan, the AGU Strategic Plan, the AGU LANDING Program Information, and a book mentioned in his presentation, "Toxic Ivory Towers" by Ruth Zambrana.
Dr. Aradhna Tripati's reading list includes books like "Presumed Incompetent" (both volumes) by Gutiérrez y Muhs et al (2012) and Flores et al. (2020), "Toxic Ivory Towers" by Zambrana (2018), "Whiteness, Power, and Resisting Change in US Higher Education: A Peculiar Institution" by Roth and Ritter (2020), and "Advancing inclusive science and systemic change: the convergence of national aims and institutional goals in implementing and assessing biomedical science training" by Hurtado et al. (2017).
Addressing Systemic Racism
Various initiatives, such as the Academics for Black Survival and Wellness, a 7-video series offering anti-racism training for academics and wellness resources for Black academics, and the UCLA Bunche African American Studies Center's cluster hire, aim to address systemic racism within academia. The need for institutions to address systemic racism is also highlighted in articles like the one published by The Chronicle.
The link https://werepstem.com/2020/06/10/when-the-academy-wants-you-black-for-quotas-funding-but-sis-please-dont-be-black-loud-when-it-matters/ discusses the challenges faced by Black academics, and the link https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01920-6 advocates for more diversity in leadership roles in science. The link https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/ally-or-accomplice-the-language-of-activism is a resource for understanding activism. RISD's initiatives include a student letter, an institutional response, and a cluster hire.
The DEEP Connections Lecture Series, with its focus on diversity and science, highlights the work of underrepresented scholars in earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences, contributing to broader DEI movements across academia and industry.
- The DEEP Connections Lecture Series, with its focus on diversity and science, extends its reach beyond earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences, aligning with broader movements in academia and business that aim to integrate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into education-and-self-development, finance, and personal-growth, creating more inclusive and equitable environments for all.
- To foster true progress in DEI, it's essential for industries like finance to embrace and implement practical strategies shared by experts, such as those presented in the DEEP Connections Lecture Series, addressing systemic barriers, promoting equitable opportunities, and cultivating cultures of belonging where diverse voices are valued—enabling a more diverse and inclusive workforce for personal and professional growth.
