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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution (E&E) recognizes the systemic racism that permeates our society, academia, and the field of ecology and evolution. Creating and maintaining an environment of inclusion and diversity is fundamental to discovery in science and to the design of solutions to complex societal problems. Many of the most complex issues require exceptional creativity in order to identify breakthrough ideas or durable solutions, and creativity is enhanced in environments that meld diverse perspectives and beliefs. We stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and the LBGTQ+, and disabled communities and are committed to actively promoting greater inclusion, equity, and diversity in our program, our school, our field, and the nation.

In September 2020, we formed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee within the graduate program with faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and staff. Meeting regularly, this committee has revised our admissions process to be more inclusive, made GREs optional for admissions, begun assessments of our program's diversity and climate, and initiated efforts to more effectively recruit members of underrepresented groups. In addition, the Journal Club in Evolution has engaged many of our community in discussions on diversity and equity within the sciences of evolution and ecology, supported by a diversity grant from HHMI to Alvin Crespo and Siobain Duffy.

On June 14, 2022, the E&E faculty ratified a Code of Conduct (PDF) for our program.

The DEI Committee has set the following goals for our program with more detailed objectives (PDF):

  1. Increase the diversity of the E&E graduate student community to reflect the diversity of the country.
  2. Increase the diversity of the E&E faculty and staff.
  3. Actively create an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive working environment for all members of the E&E community, particularly to foster the participation of underrepresented groups.
  4. Develop an Institutional Infrastructure to Drive Change.
  5. Work to increase engagement and appreciation of ecology and evolution among historically marginalized groups in the E&E field. This will primarily be focused at K-12 in surrounding communities and undergraduate students.

A Selection of What We've Been Reading

Current Reading List
Academia's Ableist Culture Laid Bare. Kendall Powell. Nature.
Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diverstiy, and Inclusion. Fuentes, Zelaya, Madsen.
Championing inclusive terminology in ecology and evolution. Cheng., et al.

Previous Reading List

  1. This Is What the Race Gap in Academia Looks Like Amanda Montañez. Scientific American.
  2. African Americans in evolutionary science: where we have been, and what’s next. Joseph L. Graves Jr. Evolution: Education and Outreach.
  3. What does it mean to decolonize a museum? Elisa Shoenberger. Muesum Next: Social Impact.
  4. The Bird World Is Grappling With Its Own Confederate Relic: McCown's Longspur. Asher Elbein. Audobon.
  5. Philadelphians Let Their Inner Birder Fly with Birding Backpacks at the Free Library. Alaina Johns. City Wide.
  6. ‘Black Birders Week’ Promotes Diversity and Takes on Racism in the Outdoors. Jillian Mock. Audobon Magazine.
  7. Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Intelligence of Plants. Krista Tippett. On Being podcast.
  8. 'Bad things happen in the woods': the anxiety of hiking while black. Candice Pires. The Guardian.
  9. Mind the Gap: How to Promote Racial Diversity Among National Park Visitors (PDF). Emily Mott. Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.
  10. Making Citizen Science Accessible for All. Rosemary Brandt. University of Arizona News.
  11. Restoring indigenous names in taxonomy. Gillman, L.N., Wright, S.D. Communications Biology.
  12. Linnaeus and Race. Isabelle Charmantier. The Linnean Society.
  13. The history of eugenics. Kevles D.J. Issues in Science and Technology.
  14. Perish not publish? New study quantifies the lack of female authors in scientific journals. Ione Fine & Alicia Shen. The Conversation.
  15. Why Diversity Matters Among Those Who Study Diversity. Evangelista, D. A., A. Goodman, M. K. Kohli, S. S. T. Bondocgawa Maflamills, M. Samuel-Foo, M. S. Herrera, J. L. Ware, and M. Wilson. American Entomologist.
  16. A deep time look at American Racism in the context of reparations. Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Atlantic.
  17. Black Lives: A Glance Through The Looking Glass. Roger Campbell II. The Medium.
  18. Black Lives Matter: Resources in Conservation Literature google doc. Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie.
  19. The Time Is Now (PDF). American Institute of Physics report.
  20. Go beyond bias training. Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Colette Patt & Mark Richards. Nature.
  21. A sense of belonging matters. That’s why academic culture needs to change. Katie Langin. Science Magazine.
  22. Without inclusion, diversity initiatives may not be enough Puritty, C. et al. Science Magazine.
  23. 'I can't even enjoy this.' #BlackBirdersWeek organizer shares her struggles as a black scientist. Katie Langin. Science Magazine.
  24. Bait and Switch: Representation, Climate, and Tensions of Diversity Work in Graduate Education. Slay et al. The Review of Higher Education.