In Spring 2018, a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group (DIWG) formed at Harvard Forest (HF), a department of Harvard University (HU) and Long-Term Ecological Research site in rural Massachusetts. DIWG is a volunteer, grass-roots effort to develop a broad sense of inclusion in the current community and to build a welcoming culture to facilitate an increase in staff diversity.
HF lacks visible diversity in its professional community: approximately 50 staff, students, and fellows. Senior scientists are primarily white males. Each summer, a more diverse group of 25 to 35 students from across the US participates in Research Experiences for Undergraduates. HF also hosts scientists, museum visitors, students of all ages, and professional groups.
With community feedback, DIWG wrote a Diversity and Inclusion Statement that is the ideological foundation and justification for our work. In part, it says that HF “will welcome, recruit, develop, and advance talented staff, students, and visitors from diverse backgrounds, and strive to ensure that all are included in our mission.” We organize activities and workshops to address inclusivity in our physical spaces and our actions. In these increasingly challenging sessions, we encourage individuals to broaden their perspectives, look for hindrances to inclusion, and identify practical solutions.
Results/Conclusions
DIWG’s initial work included drafting diversity and inclusion guidelines, updating signage and the HF website for accessibility, writing grant proposals, and hosting visits by HU resource offices on building accessibility, psychological safety, and more. When invited, we work with managers hiring new staff to help make job ads inclusive, expand outreach to diversify applicant pools, and decrease bias in application reviews and interviewing.
Our work makes HF programs and research more accessible for groups and individuals currently underserved in the sciences, including those with disabilities, mental health conditions, and a spectrum of socioeconomic circumstances. DIWG introduced racial and cultural diversity dialogues, which have expanded to the wider community, such as a process for the staff to address the legacy of Nathaniel Shaler—a former Harvard Dean of Sciences and a primary promoter of scientific racism—for whom HF’s main building is named. Anecdotes from the community indicate that staff now feel more empowered to address these issues. Our activities are a key contribution to HF goals for improving communication and psychological safety and align with broader HU goals for diversity and inclusion. Many of these lessons are transferable to other organizations, and we welcome idea-sharing and collaboration.