Diversity and Inclusion.I am committed to working towards increased diversity and inclusion throughout my career by dismantling barriers to access, fostering a supportive and inclusive research group and classroom, and embedding a commitment to justice in my research.
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Understanding how climate change interacts with society, especially vulnerable populations, is critically important. I wholeheartedly believe that such complex, interdisciplinary challenges can only be addressed with the full diversity of many voices and perspectives. Unfortunately, my own field of Earth and Environmental Science is one of the least diverse academic disciplines. As a queer woman in science, I’ve experienced some ways in which my field can be exclusive, but I am also aware that there are several groups that are further marginalized and excluded along lines of race, income, ability, and nationality, whose experiences I have sought to learn about and whose voices I have worked to amplify. I am committed to working towards increased diversity and inclusion throughout my career by dismantling barriers to access, fostering a supportive and inclusive research group and classroom, and embedding a commitment to justice in my research.
I have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion through leadership and initiatives in my department including developing an inclusive recruitment strategy and materials, leading my department’s group through the “Unlearning Racism in the Geosciences” (URGE) curriculum, helping to lead my department’s Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) chapter, and advocating for change at multiple institutional levels. My work to enhance outreach to minoritized students led to the reduction of our department’s application fee, which we identified as a significant barrier for minoritized students to apply to our graduate program. At the University level, I was a graduate representative on the University Diversity Council and the Provost’s Council for Women’s Advancement and Equity, where I advocated for policies to improve the experiences of womxn, minority, and international graduate students. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, I organized a graduate student march to demonstrate support and solidarity for our Black graduate students. I also worked closely with the Vanderbilt Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students to survey graduate students across the University about their challenges and ideas surrounding diversity and inclusion to ensure that as many voices as possible were heard by the administration. In addition, I have been committed to improving access to mental health resources and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. I worked with University stakeholders to write and publish Vanderbilt’s Mental Health Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, which was the first such of its kind and set an example for other institutions.
I have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion through leadership and initiatives in my department including developing an inclusive recruitment strategy and materials, leading my department’s group through the “Unlearning Racism in the Geosciences” (URGE) curriculum, helping to lead my department’s Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) chapter, and advocating for change at multiple institutional levels. My work to enhance outreach to minoritized students led to the reduction of our department’s application fee, which we identified as a significant barrier for minoritized students to apply to our graduate program. At the University level, I was a graduate representative on the University Diversity Council and the Provost’s Council for Women’s Advancement and Equity, where I advocated for policies to improve the experiences of womxn, minority, and international graduate students. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, I organized a graduate student march to demonstrate support and solidarity for our Black graduate students. I also worked closely with the Vanderbilt Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students to survey graduate students across the University about their challenges and ideas surrounding diversity and inclusion to ensure that as many voices as possible were heard by the administration. In addition, I have been committed to improving access to mental health resources and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. I worked with University stakeholders to write and publish Vanderbilt’s Mental Health Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, which was the first such of its kind and set an example for other institutions.