DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

For so many, the general lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia is a daily reality with numerous impacts. As a result, I consider efforts to address systemic inequities and create a welcoming, respectful, and supportive learning and working environment integral to my research and teaching. I have co-led several initiatives (see examples below), while also taking advantage of opportunities to continue listening and learning.

I am happy to share resources that I have developed and/or to discuss new collaborative efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia. Please contact me (torrance.hanley [at] gmail.com) if you are interested!

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE CAMPAIGN & WORKSHOP

In collaboration with Dr. Katie Castagno and Dylan Titmuss, I helped launch the You Are Welcome Here campaign at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center (including the Department of Marine and Environmental Studies). Inspired by similar initiatives at MIT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Brown University, and other colleges/universities that aim to promote the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM by creating a welcoming and supportive environment. To complement the YAWH campaign, Katie, Dylan, and I designed and YAWH workshops (drawing from the SafeZone curriculum but customized for the community) to allow students, staff, and faculty to listen, learn, and engage in activities and discussions, with the goal of becoming better allies. I am happy to share these resources with folks from other departments and colleges/universities - e.g., Dylan and I did a ‘train the trainer’ YAWH workshop for NU-SCI/HHMI Teaching Circle to facilitate expansion of this campaign to other departments at Northeastern University.

Designed by K. Castagno

REBUILD THE ACADEMY / REDEFINE SUCCESS

The publication of multiple (now retracted) studies that drew harmful and inaccurate conclusions about female mentors and perpetuated biased metrics of success inspired me to join forces with other folks in the field who shared my frustration to provide ideas and solutions.

  • Fulweiler et al. (2021) started as a series of tweets and messages on Twitter and became a community of academic women that sought to address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on academic mothers by outlining ways that mentors, administrators, publishers, funding agencies, and scientific societies could address and counter systemic inequities. A key goal of this paper was to move beyond highlighting the problem (where earlier studies stopped) and identify potential solutions and strategies.

  • Davies et al. (2021) also started as a frustrated response to a harmful study and grew into a wonderful collaboration calling for redefining of success in academia, moving beyond narrow and biased metrics (e.g., impact factor) to multidimensional and inclusive metrics that value diverse contributions and emphasize mentoring, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I would be excited to collaborate on additional efforts that move beyond documenting biases and inequities in academia and propose solutions and alternatives.

Fig. 1 from Davies et al. 2021

TAKING THE LEAD

I have taken a multifaceted approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, opting to take leadership roles in an effort to translate knowledge into action, while also continuing to listen and learn. For example, I had the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the Northeastern University Marine Science Center (NUMSC) after serving as a staff representative on the committee since its inception). I am also on the Diversity Committee for the Evolution in Changing Seas RCN, a co-organizer and moderator of the New England Marine Science Opportunities Listserv (which only includes paid positions in an effort to move away from unpaid/volunteer positions and resultant biases/exclusions), and served on EPA-NEP’s Environmental Justice / Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Workgroup. I (co-)organized and facilitated a variety of activities, trainings, and workshops in these roles, including:

  • Field Safety / Harassment in the Field workshops

  • Mental Health First Aid training

  • Principles of Community statement for NUMSC community

  • Unlearning Racism in Geosciences (URGE) pod leader

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (community dialogue, including paper and panel discussions)

  • Picture A Scientist viewing and discussion

  • Anti-Racist Book Club and Reading Group

I would be happy to share resources and ideas (each of these items is so much more than a bullet point!).