10-12 June 2003
Jill L. Karsten, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC USA, E-mail: jkarsten@agu.org
John Snow, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK USA, E-mail: jsnow@ou.edu
James H. Stith, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA, E-mail: jstith@aip.org
Top of the PageConference Objectives and Outcomes
The objective of this invitation-only conference was to consider the
role of scientific societies in efforts to increase participation of
women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in the Earth, ocean,
space, and physical sciences, and to discuss strategies for effectively
serving that role. Nearly 70 representatives of 27 different
scientific societies and 6 federal agencies that support these
disciplines attended the conference. Discussions centered on the
need for promoting diversity within the geosciences community, some of
the key issues that must be addressed in order to make progress, and the
hallmarks of effective programs.
A formal resolution outlining an agreement for societies to work together as a coalition on this issue was developed, and new strategies for increasing diversity that are best implemented through a collaborative approach were explored.
The conference was held at the American
Center for Physics facilities, located near the College Park campus
of the University of Maryland. The final program
of the 2.5 day conference consisted of invited keynote presentations,
plenary and break-out group discussions, and two poster sessions.
The first poster session, in which diversity programs being conducted by
individual participating organizations were described, was followed by a
panel discussion focused on the essential features of effective
diversity programs. The second poster session highlighted
diversity programs being sponsored by the National Science Foundation,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
Powerpoint presentations by Roman Czujko (AIP) on "Painting by the Numbers: Demographics of the Earth and Space Sciences Community Today" and Dr. Anne Preston (Haverford College) on "Leaving Science: Occupational Exit of Scientists and Engineers" are available.
Invitations to attend the conference were extended to all major
scientific organizations that provide support for the Earth, ocean,
space, and physical sciences community. Each participating organization
sponsored its own representatives to the conference; the final list of representatives included a blend of
member scientists, organization staff working on education or diversity
programs, and federal agency representatives. Nearly 70
representatives of 27 different scientific societies and 6 federal
agencies attended the conference. Participating organizations submitted essays describing their organizations,
missions and resources, and, where appropriate, their current
diversity-related programs and activities.
A photo gallery from the conference
is available here!
A formal conference report is being prepared and should be ready for
distribution in the early Fall of 2003. All participating and
invited organizations will receive a copy of this report, and the final
version will be posted here, when it is available. If you would
like to receive a copy of this report, please send an email to Jill
Karsten at jkarsten@agu.org .
We are grateful to the following sponsors who contributed funding in support of this conference and preparation of a final conference report:
James H. Stith (Chair), American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland
Claudia Alexander, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Pranoti Asher, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Susan Avery, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
Frank Hall, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
Jack Hehn, American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland
Roberta Johnson, UCAR, Boulder, Colorado
Mary Leech, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Cindy Martinez, American Geological Institute, Alexandria, Virginia
Joaquin Ruiz, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
John Snow, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
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