BROADENING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN MARYLAND SEA GRANT PROGRAMS

The Sea Grant Network has long been a champion for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility within our programs and for our constituents. In 2016, the Network created a community of practice and developed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 10-year vision (2018) to spread knowledge internally and advocate for mindful inclusivity and engagement. At Maryland Sea Grant, we built on that vision, focusing internal efforts on educating and empowering staff and a DEI committee to lead initiatives to improve our climate and inclusivity. We support DEI conversations and reading groups, organize retreats, research methods to improve policy and process, and offer management skills and conflict resolution training. For external programming, we seek to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into our existing and new projects.  For example, our Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has made significant changes to the application process; adjusted selection criteria to reflect our vision for a diverse cohort; added pre-program and orientation programs that promote inclusion, empathy, and reduce imposter syndrome; experimented with hybrid and virtual programming; and offered full travel planning and financial support for summer program and conference participation. Through these efforts, Maryland Sea Grant is working to build an inclusive environment and geosciences workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

Presentation Preference: Either

Primary Presenter: Michael Allen, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (mra142@gmail.com)

Authors:

Michael Allen, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (mallen@mdsg.umd.edu)

Kevin Bruce, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (bruce@mdsg.umd.edu)

Jenna Clark, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (clark@mdsg.umd.edu)

Chris Flight, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (cflight@mdsg.umd.edu)

Annie Schatz, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (kschatz@mdsg.umd.edu)

Anita Shelton, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (ashelton@mdsg.umd.edu)

Ana Sosa, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (asosamor@mdsg.umd.edu)

Taryn Sudol, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  (tsudol@mdsg.umd.edu)