Submission Title
201— Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Department of Geological Sciences at SUNY Geneseo
Submission Type
Poster
Start Date
April 2021
Abstract
The field of Geosciences historically has lacked diversity. This lack of diversity is observed at all levels of higher education—for example, 90% of doctoral degrees are awarded to white people (Wilson, 2016) and only 3.8% of tenured or tenure track positions at the top 100 geoscience departments are held by faculty of color (Bernard & Cooperdock 2018). There are multiple reasons at the heart of this issue including the lack of representation which can fuel stereotype threats and imposter syndromes.
This project aimed to take actions that would help grow the diversity, equity, and accessibility within Geneseo’s GSCI department. This project involved many components including: gathering biosketches and creating a “faces of geology” display and working with our department’s new DEI taskforce and URGE pod. The biosketch part of this project entailed researching past and present geoscientists that represent diversity within the field and to create biosketches for each person. These biosketches have been turned into a display within the ISC and have also fueled assignments that have drawn in students across the department. URGE is a national initiative aimed to bring geoscientists together so that as a whole we can strive towards Unlearning Racism in Geoscience.
Recommended Citation
Leonard, Maria, "201— Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Department of Geological Sciences at SUNY Geneseo" (2021). GREAT Day Posters. 55.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2021/posters-2021/55
201— Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Department of Geological Sciences at SUNY Geneseo
The field of Geosciences historically has lacked diversity. This lack of diversity is observed at all levels of higher education—for example, 90% of doctoral degrees are awarded to white people (Wilson, 2016) and only 3.8% of tenured or tenure track positions at the top 100 geoscience departments are held by faculty of color (Bernard & Cooperdock 2018). There are multiple reasons at the heart of this issue including the lack of representation which can fuel stereotype threats and imposter syndromes.
This project aimed to take actions that would help grow the diversity, equity, and accessibility within Geneseo’s GSCI department. This project involved many components including: gathering biosketches and creating a “faces of geology” display and working with our department’s new DEI taskforce and URGE pod. The biosketch part of this project entailed researching past and present geoscientists that represent diversity within the field and to create biosketches for each person. These biosketches have been turned into a display within the ISC and have also fueled assignments that have drawn in students across the department. URGE is a national initiative aimed to bring geoscientists together so that as a whole we can strive towards Unlearning Racism in Geoscience.
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