AIBS has decided to expand the 2021 meeting of its Council of Member Societies and Organizations to engage like-minded organizations committed to increasing diversity in the biological sciences in a two-day virtual conference.
Topic: Enabling Scientific Societies to Support Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accepting (IDEA) Scientific Environments
Fully Funded by: 
Additional Support Provided by: 
Resources
- Session A: Understanding Culture & Incorporating Cultural Differences (Coming Soon)
- Session B: Understanding & Incorporating Equity in Science (Coming Soon)
- Session C: Understanding Bias & Stereotypes, Uncovering & Removing Bias & Stereotypes (View Recording)
- View Conference Brochure
- Summary from the 2021 IDEA Conference
Scientific institutions increasingly recognize the need to remove barriers for individuals historically underrepresented in science and to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). A wider breadth of scientific competencies—achieved by expanding DEI—is needed to address critical concerns with worldwide impacts. Improving DEI requires a significant cultural shift, and scientific societies provide a unique platform to lead these cultural changes in the biological sciences. Scientific societies represent a wide variety of individuals and institutions; they have access to multiple fields of biology to impart resources and education; and they can enable networking and idea sharing across many disciplines and organizations to empower new approaches.
AIBS is committed to increasing DEI in the biological sciences. To demonstrate our commitment, we released a 12-month Diversity Plan earlier this year focused on actions that center around three of our core activities: assessment, training, and communication. Our council meeting this year is an effort to rally the biological sciences community to join us in our long-term commitment to improving DEI.
This year’s council meeting, supported by the National Science Foundation’s LEAPS program, will focus on Enabling Scientific Societies to Support Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accepting (IDEA) Scientific Environments. Creating IDEA scientific environments is critical for ensuring that science is equipped to address 21st century grand challenges. The IDEA conference will provide a forum for leaders of scientific societies to engage in shared learning, discussion, and reflection about multiple topics related to IDEA scientific environments. The conference will also offer tools for participants to develop action plans based on their discussions and will prepare representatives to take the knowledge, resources, and tools they have gained back to their organizations for further work.
Enabling IDEA environments in science requires more than making plans or setting goals. It is about changing the culture of science! The conference will directly engage scientific society leadership in:
- Working together to understand the components of IDEA cultures
- Identifying barriers to enabling IDEA environments
- Creating action plans to overcome the barriers
- Collaborating in mutual commitment to move forward in changing the culture of biology
Who should attend?
- Officers of AIBS member organizations, particularly those in one of the following positions: your representative to the AIBS Council, president or president-elect, executive director or senior staff.
- Members of your organization’s diversity committee or director/manager of diversity initiatives.
- Student members interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion in science.
How will attendees be selected?
An officer of an AIBS member society or organization may nominate up to 3 people to attend. We suggest nomination of an officer or executive, a diversity committee member or manager, and a student member. Space is limited, as such no more than 2 people will be selected to attend per society or organization. Details about the nomination process will be available on August 18, 2021. The AIBS conference steering committee will select participants from the breadth of its Member Societies and Organizations that have active DEI initiatives, such as programs, committees, plans, or statements, or are newly engaged in DEI but have expressed interest in learning or doing more. Nominations will be due no later than September 15, 2021.
Not a member of AIBS? Contact us to find out more about how to join AIBS.
Dates to Remember:
- Applications Open: August 18, 2021 10am ET
- Applications Close: September 15, 2021 5pm ET
- Participants will be notified: September 27, 2021
- Pre-conference Webinar: October 13, 2021 4pm - 5pm ET
Enabling Scientific Societies to Support IDEA Scientific Environments
November 4-5, 2021 · 11:00AM - 5:00PM Eastern Time Zone
Draft Agenda.
DAY 1
11:00 AM — Zoom Room Opens, Informal Conversation
11:30 PM — Welcome and Introductions
- Moderator: James Verdier, AIBS
11:45 PM — Moment of Acknowledgement and Centering
- Facilitator: Darryl Monteau, EdD, The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
12:00 PM — Opening Remarks
- Charles Fenster, PhD, AIBS President
12:10 PM — Conference Overview
- DaJoie Croslan, PhD, AIBS Diversity Committee Chair
12:30 PM — Plenary Presentation: Experiences in Science of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Acceptance
- Moderator: James Verdier
- Plenary:
- Roberto Efraín Díaz, University of California, San Francisco
- Itumeleng Moroenyane, PhD, Institut National Recherche Scientifique
- Pamela Padilla, PhD, The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
- Molly Phillips, Florida Museum of Natural History
1:15 PM — Identifying Characteristics of IDEA Scientific Environments
- Facilitator: Kathy Joyce, M. Kathleen Joyce & Associate
2:15 PM — Break
2:30 PM — Concurrent Sessions
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Session A: Understanding Culture & Incorporating Cultural Differences
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Facilitator: Raven Baxter, PhD, University of California, Irvine
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Speakers:
- Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, PhD, Yale School of Medicine
- Catherine Quinlan, EdD, Howard University School of Education
- Evelyn Valdez-Ward, University of California, Irvine
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Session B: Understanding & Incorporating Equity in Science
- Facilitator:
- Monica Vela, MD FAC, University of Chicago
- Speakers:
- Rebecca A. Campbell-Montalvo, PhD, University of Connecticut
- Joseph A. Isaac, Texas Tech University
- Facilitator:
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Session C: Understanding Bias & Stereotypes, Uncovering & Removing Bias & Stereotypes
- Facilitator:
- David J. Asai, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Speakers:
- Jessica L. Cundiff, PhD, Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Asia Eaton, PhD, Florida International University
- Ti’Air E. Riggins, MEng, Michigan State University
- Facilitator:
4:30 PM — Synopsis of Day
5:00 PM — Adjourn
DAY 2
11:00 AM — Presentation on Tools and Techniques to Develop Action Plans for IDEA
- Facilitator: Kathy Joyce, M. Kathleen Joyce & Associate
12:00 PM — Work Groups Develop Action Plans
2:15 PM — Work Group Reports
- Facilitator: Kathy Joyce, M. Kathleen Joyce & Associate
3:00 PM — BREAK
3:15 PM — Synthesis and Recommendations
- Facilitator: Kathy Joyce, M. Kathleen Joyce & Associate
4:00 PM — NSF Funded RCN LEAPs Highlights
- Presenters:
- Veronica Segarra, PhD, The American Society for Cell Biology
- Mary Williams, PhD, The American Society of Plant Biologists
4:45 PM — Next Steps and Concluding Remarks
- Presenter: DaJoie Croslan, PhD, AIBS Diversity Committee Chair
5:00 PM — Adjourn
This conference is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2134480.