Diversity and inclusion are central to Princeton University's educational mission and its desire to serve society. Whether through research, teaching, or service, members of the Geosciences Department have a deep commitment to being inclusive. Our commitment to fairness and respect for all fosters the free and open exchange of ideas, which we believe is central to the strength of our discipline.
The Diversity Committee was formed as a faculty committee in 2013. Since 2020 the Diversity Committee has included representatives from the postdoctoral cadre, the Geosciences graduate program, and the undergraduates. All members volunteer their time. We always do much more than we can talk about, but we always accomplish less than we would like. So stay tuned and reach out to us, as many of you have been doing, to remain involved.
The Diversity Committee is accepting proposals requesting funds to support innovative initiatives to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within our Department and beyond. Non-faculty applicants may request funding for a broad range of activities, such as (but not limited to) organizing outreach events, seeding collaborations with minority-serving institutions, and developing programs, infrastructure, coursework and training in the Department. Funding requests for travel expenses of collaborators at under-resourced institutions will also be considered.
Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.
Should you need to bring issues to the attention of the University that transcend but include our Department, send an email to Ideas for Change with a copy to us. If you like to remain anonymous, visit Make Your Voice Heard on the Princeton University Inclusion website. Also note the resources offered by the Princeton University's Ombuds Office.
News & Upcoming Events
2 August 2023: Understanding Accessibility and Accommodations (2h, remote). Register
21 July 2023: Ally Project: Supporting LGBT Students, Staff and Faculty (3h, in person). Register
18 July 2023: Bias, Power, Privilege, and Workplace Communication (1.5h, remote). Register
22 May 2023: Seventh Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
1-2 May 2023: Mental Health First Aid Training course (8 h) taught by Penn Medicine Princeton Health.
24 April 2023: Sixth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
22 April 2023: Spring into Science! First annual event (10:00 am - 12:30 pm in the Frick Atrium). Open to all ten Science Outreach academic departments. Participants will include 4th–10th graders from area schools, afterschool programs, and their families. Spring into Science is an outreach opportunity to share engaging and informative science with the community.
20-21 April 2023: Future Faculty in the Physical Sciences Fellows Symposium.
27 March-April 1 2023: GradFUTURES Forum: the Graduate School's 4th annual professional development conference for graduate students.
27 March 2023: Fifth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
24 March 2023: Academic DEI/Climate Committee retreat. Keynote speaker: Dr. Sharon Fries-Britt, a professor and national expert on diversity, equity, climate and inclusion. Princeton colleagues Cole Crittenden, Judith Hamera, Khristina Gonzalez, and Andy Hakim discuss academic outreach activities, and learning and professional development pathways. Attendees drawn mostly from the Faculty as well as departmental administrators share best practices and success stories from their departments.
27 February 2023: Fourth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
27 January 2023: Fourth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
20 January 2023: Physicist, feminist, author and science communicator Professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein speaks on The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, at 4 pm in McDonnell A02. Lays out a bold new approach to science and society, beginning with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. The Disordered Cosmos dreams into existence a world that allows everyone to experience and understand the wonders of the universe. In this lecture, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter—along with a perspective informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. Prescod-Weinstein is a graduate of Harvard College, University of California — Santa Cruz, and the University of Waterloo. One of under 100 Black American women to earn a PhD from a department of physics, she is a theoretical physicist with expertise in particle physics, cosmology, and astrophysics, with an emphasis on dark matter. In addition, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is a theorist of Black feminist science, technology, and society studies, and a monthly columnist for New Scientist. Her research and advocacy for marginalized people in physics and astronomy have won multiple awards, and her first book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, was published in 2021.
14 December 2022: The 2021-22 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion annual report has been released and is available through the homepage story and on the Inclusive Princeton website. The materials include an introductory video message.Printed copies are available upon request from Felicia Edwards.
9-12 December 2022: Interviews with post-doctoral candidates for the Future Faculty in the Physical Sciences (FFPS) Fellowship.
9 December 2022: Third Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
3 November 2022: Second Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
12 October 2022: First Diversity Committee meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year.
28 September 2022: Please join us for the Amplifying Voices Distinguished Lecture, by Dr. Raven Baxter, science communicator, molecular biologist, music artist and advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM.
21 September 2022: Princeton Early Career Researchers in Geosciences (PECRiG) Fall Mixer!
14-17 August 2022: AGU Chapman Conference: The Second National Conference: Justice in Geoscience. Gemma Sahwell from the Diversity Committee attended in person. Videos from the keynote speakers.
4 May 2022: Princeton University is partnering with UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and five historically Black colleges and universities to launch a groundbreaking program designed to enable research collaborations between Princeton faculty and their peers at HBCUs. Full article.
April 2022: Princeton University will host CUWiP, the APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics in January 2023. With the support of the American Physical Society and partner institutions, PPPL and Princeton University’s CUWiP will engage roughly 200 young physicists, giving the participants valuable experience, information, support, and tools to succeed in physics-related careers. Let Frederik Simons or Shannon Greco at PPPL know if you are interested in supporting the local organization committee.
The Committee welcomes input and news about upcoming events, so that we can effectively and widely share them.
Initiatives & Activities
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The Geosciences graduate program participates in the Predoctoral Fellowship Initiative. Members of groups that have been historically and are presently underrepresented in the academy are encouraged to apply as part of their application for the Ph. D. program. We are eager to make this program a success, and we advise you to speak to us early about your eligibility. Contact our graduate program administrators so they can give you appropriate advice and connect you to one of our Faculty members or others in the Department knowledgeable about the application process.
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The Geosciences graduate program no longer uses GRE scores in making admission decisions. Do not submit your scores - they are not accepted. Our assessment of applicants has always been holistic, but it has now evolved to including a standardized online interview with a small group of faculty advisors. Domestic applicants are encouraged to visit us on campus at any time during the application process. If your application has been shortlisted we will provide financial assistance to make that happen.
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The Geosciences graduate program is committed to making sure that application fees do not impose unnecessary financial hardship on our applicants. The Graduate School now has an easy way for applicants to request fee waivers. Contact our graduate program administrators if you have any questions or experience any issues with this aspect of your application.
Below is the official guidance from Michelle Carman, Director of Graduate Admissions:
Currently there are four ways that domestic applicants may receive a waiver:- Partner Programs. As has been the case for a number of years, applicants who have participated in certain partner programs aimed at broadening educational access automatically receive a fee waiver within the application system. Such applicants check a box within the application indicating their participation and upload a letter from the program verifying their participation. The partner programs are listed on the graduate school website.
- Financial Hardship. Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may request a fee waiver based on financial hardship. Applicants will fill out a short questionnaire providing their current student debt and income. In an effort to reduce barriers and increase access, applicants who make this request do not need to provide additional evidence of their financial hardship. Once an applicant has made a fee waiver request based on financial hardship, the Graduate School admission team will review the request. Within three business days, the applicant will receive confirmation of approval, and the application fee will be waived.
- Recruiting Fairs and Conferences. Graduate School staff recruit at conferences and fairs aimed at increasing educational diversity. Prospective low-income applicants who plan to apply in the coming year may qualify to receive a one-time-use fee waiver code from the Graduate School.
- Faculty/Department Request. Departments may request a fee waiver code for prospective applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents based on their financial status and not based on other factors such as race, ethnicity, or gender. This may be done in two ways. First, departments may email [email protected] with the first and last name and the email address of the prospective applicant(s). An Admission staff member will then email a one-time-use fee waiver code to the applicant. Second, departments may request a list of fee waiver codes that departments themselves give out to applicants in whatever methods they wish. The Graduate School will track these codes and each code is a one-time-use code.
- Partner Programs. As has been the case for a number of years, applicants who have participated in certain partner programs aimed at broadening educational access automatically receive a fee waiver within the application system. Such applicants check a box within the application indicating their participation and upload a letter from the program verifying their participation. The partner programs are listed on the graduate school website.
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The Department is eager to promote applicants for the Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellows Program, which recognizes and supports scholars who can contribute to the University’s diversity, broadly defined, including members of groups that have been historically and are presently underrepresented in the academy or in particular disciplines, such as racial and ethnic minorities and women in STEM. The Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellows Program is meant to encourage early-career scholars to pursue a career in academia by supporting their postdoctoral work at the University. Please directly contact a prospective Faculty mentor at any time, irrespective of posted deadlines, so that we may coach you on your application, and help you direct it to the right place.
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Princeton Early Career Researchers in Geosciences
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The Department supports the activities of the Princeton Early Career Researchers in Geosciences (PECRiG). Their primary mission is to increase the retention and boost the morale of early career researchers in the Earth Sciences through the development of an active peer network and the fostering of mentorship. PECRiG strives to create a support system for scientists at all career levels that values academic achievement and satisfaction, promotes work-life balance, and initiates positive conversations about both.
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The Department maintains a very active schedule of workshops, seminars, lectures, and other events by visitors from the world at large, both academic and professional. Seminar organizers and event coordinators rotate among Faculty, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students. Contact them with your suggestions for speakers that will enhance our commitment to diversity, access and inclusion, and reach out to one of our Committee members if you have ideas, suggestions or specific requests that you would like to put our keep on our collective agenda.
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The Department supports and encourages its members, including undergraduate students and graduate students, to engage in public service. Many of these activities are centrally coordinated at the University level, but our Faculty and staff are eager to help you find meaningful opportunities with domain-specific angles, and will support and recognize your individual and collective engagement. Students, talk to your advisors - and do contact one of our Committee members if you have any questions related to this important aspect of your education.
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Our Faculty are keen on participating in outreach events where we can share and amplify the message of the Geosciences being a vibrant, active and societally relevant field of research and education open to all. Inquiries, e.g., requests for speakers, mentors, advocates, and facilitators, from membership organizations serving underrepresented communities, undergraduate conferences, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, community colleges, and other such entities, are very much welcomed, and can be directed to one of our Committee members for further follow-up.
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The Department is soliciting nominations, including self-nominations, for the "Geosciences Service and Outreach Award for Graduate Students".
Up to two awards may be given per year. Honorees will be chosen by the Department Diversity Committee (faculty, postdoctoral and undergraduate, but not graduate representatives), from nominations received on a running basis, with an annual cut-off early in the Fall Term.Unsuccessful nominations from prior years will be carried over automatically as long as the potential awardee continues to meet the eligibility criteria.
The awards, which consist of a monetary prize and an official notice in the Departmental records and publications, are intended to recognize, and thereby stimulate, broader impacts - in the form of service (including but not limited to diversity), outreach, and advocacy beyond the traditional definitions of "research" and "teaching".
Nominations consist of a single PDF (strictly limited to one page) with the (1) name of the candidate, (2) a brief citation suitable for editing into publication, and (3) a short narrative strengthening the motivation for the nomination.
Any member of the Geosciences Department may lead a nomination. Nominations can (but need not) be co-signed for endorsement by others from inside or outside the University Community, providing their name and contact details. Multiple independent nominations of the same person will be jointly considered. Nominations not resulting in an award will be carried over to the next nomination period.The 2022 honorees were Maya V. Chung and Elena Watts.
The 2021 honorees were Sirus Han and Jenna A. Lee.
The 2020 honorees were Jenn J. Kasbohm and Katja E. Luxem.
The cut-off date for the 2022 Awards nomination process is Tuesday September 6th, 2022. All Geosciences and AOS graduate students currently enrolled, and all Geosciences and AOS Ph. D. graduates of the Class of 2022, are eligible.Nominations are to be sent via email to Prof. Frederik Simons at [email protected].
Departmental Code of Conduct for Field Work
At one point or another, even the most theoretical geoscientist ventures out into "the field" for research or education. Princeton University's Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities apply while traveling every bit as much as on campus. The added provisions for responsible conduct and leadership in the field are spelled out in a document that is signed by all field trip participants, students and instructors, prior to departure, a survey of all participants is conducted after every field experience, and a permanent record is kept.
Departmental Demographics
The Office of Institutional Research maintains a public Diversity Dashboard with demographic data at the University level.
Here are the 2019 data for our Department as identified by the search term "Geosciences" in the database to which direct public access is restricted: Faculty | Postdoc | Graduate | Undergraduate | Doctoral. Comparisons on doctoral degree completion with other research-intensive universities by Race/Ethnicity and Gender. Please contact Shawn Maxam with any questions or to request access.
Please note that the University now publishes an Annual Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with many useful facts and figures. The 2021 Report can be downloaded here or read directly online here.
Workshops & Training Opportunities
Princeton offers an array of courses and workshops taught by internal and external speakers. Consult the Employee Learning Center under Diversity & Inclusion for specific offerings. Specific examples from past courses taken or lectures attended by our Faculty and Staff are: Engaging with Students around Race and Racism by Mark Anthony Neal, Inclusive Teaching for a Diverse Scientific Workforce by Allison Gammie, Leveraging Diversity, Challenges and Opportunities, by Sharon Fries-Britt, How to be A Male Ally to Women in STEM, by Chris Kilmartin, Creating an Inclusive Classroom: Ideas from Whistling Vivaldi, by the McGraw Center for Teaching & Learning Inclusive Teaching at Princeton series...
The Committee welcomes input and news about upcoming learning opportunities, so that we can effectively and widely share them.
Reading Suggestions
Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman, by Lindy Elkins-Tanton (HarperCollins, 2022).
I am, by Jeff Caers (Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 14 Jun 2021).
Seven Ways PIs Can Counteract Systematic Bias Right Now, by Jessica Duncombe (Eos, 12 Mar 2021).
Diversity in Science: Next Steps for Research Group Leaders, by Nikki Forrester (Nature, 23 Sep 2020).
The University, Social Justice, and Free Inquiry, by Mark F. Bernstein (Princeton Alumni Weekly, 9 Sep 2020).
If you want more women in your workforce, here’s how to recruit, by Emma Pierson et al. (Nature, 26 Aug 2020).
What Black scientists want from colleagues and their institutions, by Virginia Gewin (Nature, 22 Jun 2020).
Race After Technology, by Ruha Benjamin (Polity, 2019).
Invisible Labor, by Eric Anthony Grollman (Inside Higher Ed, 15 Dec 2015).
Old News & Past Events
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9 June 2022: Ninth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
9 May 2022: Eight Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
6 May 2022: The Young Women’s Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics introduces middle-school and high-school-aged girls (in 7th through 10th grades) to women scientists and engineers and the wide breadth of careers available to them in these fields. Prominent female scientists and engineers from around the region spend the day with the girls in a variety of formats that includes small-group presentations, hands-on activities, a keynote address, and a chemistry demo. Contact Deedee Ortiz at PPPL if you are interested in participating in any of the hands-on Expos.
27 April 2022: Mental Health awareness workshop and lunch, led by Olivia McDonald-James from Princeton Counseling and Psychological Services. Learn the signs of a mental health crisis and build stress management skills. Together, we’ll understand the basic principles of stress management, recognize triggers and how to manage them and develop proactive responses and coping tips for managing stressors related to work, research and everyday life. Guyot Hall Rm 220, 12-1:30pm. RSVP.
4 April 2022: Seventh Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
February 2022: Princeton's Council on Science and Technology announces its Community of Practice Fellowship - Diversifying Science and Engineering Curriculum Spring 2022 Fellowship. Read more about the Spring 2021 Diversifying STEM Curriculum initiative.
25 February 2022: Sixth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
13 January 2022: Fifth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
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2021
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12 December 2021: Some if indeed many of you will be traveling in person to the AGU Fall Meeting. For some of you, this will be your first ever Princeton-sponsored travel. All of us are hoping that a meeting like this will be an enjoyable learning experience. Please familiarize yourself with AGU's Code of Conduct at such events, whether you go in person or online. The website lists examples of bad behavior and consequences. Don't do any of that. As to what to do, well, the key word is respect.
8 December 2021: Fourth Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
7 December 2021: GEO and AOS students and Faculty attend the GEO/AOS Virtual Open House, an event for prospective graduate students, organized by Vanessa Gonzalez-Perez, Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives in the Natural Sciences.
17 November 2021: GEO Faculty attends a workshop on Interrupting Bias in the Academic Search Process led by Shawn Maxam, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion. (A recording is available upon request to Frederik Simons).
12 November 2021: GEO and AOS Faculty attend a workshop on Inclusive Mentoring led by Shawn Maxam, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion.
4-7 November 2021: Graduate students and faculty participate in information and recruiting sessions during the NSBP (National Society of Black Physicists) 2021 Conference.
25-29 October 2021: Graduate students and faculty participate in information and recruiting sessions during the SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) National Digital Diversity in STEM Conference.
25 October 2021: Third Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
21 October 2021: Princeton's James Madison Program hosts Dorian Abbot's lecture Climate and the Potential for Life on Other Planets, with many in attendance. The lecture generated controversy and nationwide coverage due to Professor Abbot's Newsweek opinion piece The Diversity Problem on Campus.
13 October 2021: The University publishes annual update on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Read the report here or download it here. A new website for academic departments was launched.
7 October 2021: Graduate students and faculty participate in P3, the Prospective PhD Preview.
26 September 2021: Second Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
14 October 2021: The Department congratulates Sirus Han and Jenna A. Lee on receiving the second set of Service and Outreach Awards for Graduate Students. Read the News announcement, which includes citations with excerpts from the nomination letters here.
24 September 2021: First Diversity Committee meeting of the 2021-2022 academic year.
September 2021: The Department teamed up with the Departments of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences to advertise a cohort-forming cluster hire of Postdoctoral Fellows for what is called the Future Faculty in the Physical Sciences (FFPS) Fellowship. Interviews were conducted on December 6th.
31 August 2021: The following upcoming workshops will be offered by the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity during the 2021-2022 academic year. Fostering Inclusion, designed to assist individuals in developing positive interpersonal interactions with a diverse cohort of colleagues and fostering a respectful environment. Five 5-minute online modules that participants watch on their own, followed by a live interactive Zoom session (90 minutes). The sessions will be offered separately for graduate students, postdocs/researchers and staff across all departments on a variety of dates/times in October 2021, and to faculty on a departmental basis. Maintaining Professional Boundaries, a 60-minute Zoom workshop focusing on expectations regarding maintaining professional boundaries, including discussing general guidelines (particularly related to power dynamics) and best practices with respect to meetings, communications, socializing, and general interpersonal interactions. The workshops will be offered separately for graduate students, postdocs/researchers and staff across all departments in November 2021 and in February 2022, and to faculty on a departmental basis.
August 2021: The Department advertised an opening for an Assistant Professor in the area of Geology. Diversity and inclusion are central to Princeton University's educational mission and its desire to serve society. Members of the Geosciences Department have a deep commitment to being inclusive. We believe that commitment to principles of fairness and respect for all is favorable to the free and open exchange of ideas, so we seek to reach out as widely as possible in order to attract the ablest individuals as students, faculty, and staff. A diversity statement is part of the application. Members of the Geosciences Diversity Committee read and score all such statements anonymously to provide input to the Faculty Search Committee with whom they consult further.
Faculty serving on the Search Committee are receiving training on how to reduce unconscious bias in the academic hiring process.27 July 2021: The (under)graduate members of the Diversity Committee approved funding for the creation of an emerging library of DEI reading materials, the screening of Picture a Scientist, a film documenting the gender-based and racially motivated hardships experienced by women in STEM, and stipends to recognize the efforts of URGE pod leaders.
4 June 2021: To mark Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, members of the Diversity Committee hosted a celebratory online event. Attendees learned about the AAPI community, played an AAPI-themed "culinary bingo", and discussed how to put the Department's monetary contribution to charitable use.
28 May 2021: At the last meeting of the Geosciences Department Committee, special guest Emily Wild shared her insights into how to help unlock Princeton's library, cartography, and information resources for research into the intersection of the geosciences and environmental justice.
19 March 2021: "Racist Slurs in Place-Names Have to Go, Say Geoscientists", among whom Julia Wilcots '2016, in an Open Letter in support of H.R. 8455 (116th), the Reconciliation in Place Names Act.
19 March 2021: There is "so much low-hanging fruit that could be implemented immediately to reduce harm happening to our most marginalized community members right now". Counteracting Systematic Bias in the Lab, Field, and Classroom: a practical guide co-authored by Christine Y. Chen '2013.
9 March 2021: Christine Y. Chen '2013, Tamara Pico '2014, and Wesley Wiggins '2021 are interviewed by EOS Magazine about their work on providing a social and political context for geoscience education (GeoContext), which points to the need for us to reflect on the role of Arnold Guyot, which has been critically reexamined.
8 March 2021: In 2022 Princeton University once again will be hosting an APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics! The newly formed local organizing committee held its first meeting. Undergraduate and graduate volunteers are actively being recruited. If you are able and willing to help out in any capacity, reach out to Shannon Swilley-Greco or let Frederik Simons know.
1 March 2021: No fewer than 38 Geosciences and Atmospheric & Ocean Sciences are active in the Princeton GEO/AOS URGE (Unlearning Racism in Geoscience) Pod!
11 February 2021: Faculty attends Racist research: What does respect for researchers require? What should academic freedom allow?, a talk by Professor Elizabeth Harman.
18 January 2021: It's Wintersession! Join us for To Be Known and Heard: Systemic Racism and Princeton University Virtual Gallery & Roundtable Discussion. Participants are Professors Brian Eugenio Herrera, Tera Hunter, Beth Lew-Williams, Dan-el Padilla Peralta, and the event is co-moderated by Tennille Haynes (Carl A. Fields Center) and Judy Jarvis (Office of Wintersession & Campus Engagement). Audience members will be able to ask questions and engage with the interactive parts of the program.
5 January 2021: Geosciences alumna Christine Y. Chen '13 and Diversity Committee undergraduate member J. Wesley Wiggins '21 are quoted discussing scientific racism in a Princeton Alumni Weekly magazine article. Of note is also their ongoing work on contextualizing the Geosciences curriculum via the GeoContext program.
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16 December 2020: The Department invites all of its members for a Townhall discussion on Systemic Racism & the Academe. Led by Dr. Vanessa Gonzalez-Perez, the event will take place on Zoom (where else?) and run on Wednesday 16 December 2020, between 3:30pm and 5pm. The event was attended by students (19), staff (7), researchers (14), and faculty (11).
15 December 2020: The Council on Science and Technology (CST) at Princeton is developing a Community of Practice around the issue of diversifying the Science & Engineering curriculum through course readings, cases, and examples. Applications from faculty are accepted until January 11, 2021. More information and application link.
15 December 2020: Members of the Department attend Spaces of Belonging: A Public Conversation on Inclusive Campus Spaces. Presentation by Andy Chen ’09 and Waqas Jawaid ’10 Partners, Isometric Studio, in conversation with Ronald McCoy, GS ’80, University Architect. Registration.
11 December 2020: Geosciences and AOS Graduate program Ask Me Anything event. Join us for program overviews led by faculty members followed by a casual Q&A session with current graduate students. The discussion will focus on graduate student life in the department as well as the application and admissions process. Registration.
9 December 2020: Faculty attends a conversation with Professor Dan-el Padilla Peralta on the topic of Systemic Racism and Structural Inequality — viewed from a faculty perspective. Registration.
7-11 December 2020: Attending the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting?
Check out the Special Sessions B029 on Field Safety: A Necessary Ingredient for Success, GC031 on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within Earth System Modeling, SY013 on Diversity and Inclusion in Polar Science, ED015 on Expanding Opportunities in the Geosciences: Exploring Examples of Geo-STEM Learning Ecosystems that Promote Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, ED003 on Advancing Equity and Inclusion of LGBTQ+ Scientists, ED010 on Climate Literacy: Reaching Broad Audiences Through Informal Education, Youth Initiatives, Community Impact work, and Media, ED017 on Growing and Diversifying the Earth and Space Science Federal Workforce, ED027 on Sharing Their Science: Enabling Scientists in Public Engagement and Virtual Engagement Efforts.24 November 2020: The Department is pleased to host for a special seminar Dr. Paul Bauman. Speaking on the topic Good Geoscience in Dire Places: Searching for Water in Humanitarian Crises, Dr. Bauman, who received a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from Princeton in 1981, lights the way for those us making a career in geophysics with an ethical conscience. Dr Bauman is the 2020-2021 Distinguished Lecturer for the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Video.
November 2020: The Diversity Committee is accepting proposals requesting funds to support innovative initiatives to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within our Department and beyond. Non-faculty applicants may request funding for a broad range of activities, such as (but not limited to) organizing outreach events, seeding collaborations with minority-serving institutions, and developing antiracism programs, infrastructure, coursework and training in the Department. Funding requests for travel expenses of collaborators at under-resourced institutions will also be considered.
26-30 October 2020: Going to the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting?
Watch for the (inter)national Day of Anti-Racist Action in Geoscience on Tuesday October 27, 2020.19-24 October 2020: Faculty and graduate students of the Department join as Ambassadors at the 2020 SACNAS – The National Diversity in STEM Virtual Conference. Together with Dean Vanessa Gonzalez-Perez and Coordinator Joel Boggess, we (wo)manned the Princeton Extension Booth during the exhibitor hours of the conference, and spoke about our graduate program and the graduate application process from a variety of perspectives with students from a great variety of backgrounds.
8 October 2020: Faculty and graduate students of the Department welcome prospective first generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented groups in the first virtual Prospective PhD Preview (P3).
29 September 2020: Geosciences Department Seminar by Dr. Kuheli Dutt, Earth Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. The title of the presentation is: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences. Abstract: The geosciences are among the least diverse STEM fields, with little to no change in racial diversity over the last few decades. The less diverse a field, the greater the reliance on stereotypes and implicit biases, which in turn disproportionately impacts marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and LGBTQ+. Progress towards diversification can only come with a concerted shift in mindsets and a deeper understanding of complex topics such as race, especially in a predominantly White field. This session will provide insights and guidelines on advancing diversity and inclusion in the geosciences, with a focus on understanding systemic racism in the geosciences.
25 September 2020: Faculty attends Systemic Racism and its Impact on Creating a Diverse Faculty in Higher Education, a workshop by Professor Tricia Rose, in the series Inclusive Leadership: Workshops for Department Chairs and Academic Deans organized by the Faculty Advancement Network. The video of the workshop (without the break-out sessions) is posted here.
18 September 2020: The Department congratulates Jenn J. Kasbohm and Katja E. Luxem on receiving the inaugural Service and Outreach Awards for Graduate Students. Read the News announcement, which includes citations with excerpts from the nomination letters here.
September 2020: The Department has teamed up with the Departments of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences to advertise a cohort-forming cluster hire of Postdoctoral Fellows for what is called the Future Faculty in the Physical Sciences (FFPS) Fellowship. Interviews are conducted on December 10th.
28 August 2020: Faculty (six) attends Engaging with Students around Race and Racism, a workshop by Professor Mark Anthony Neal, in the series Inclusive Leadership: Workshops for Department Chairs and Academic Deans organized by the Faculty Advancement Network. The full video of the workshop (without the break-out sessions) is posted here. Professor Neal's presentation (by itself) can be found here.
27 August 2020: Graduate students attend Fostering Inclusion, by Regan Hunt Crotty, as part of the Graduate School Orientation. Thursday at 1pm.
August 2020: The Department has advertised an opening for an Assistant Professor in the area of Global Geophysics.
Diversity and inclusion are central to Princeton University's educational mission and its desire to serve society. Members of the Geosciences Department have a deep commitment to being inclusive. We believe that commitment to principles of fairness and respect for all is favorable to the free and open exchange of ideas, so we seek to reach out as widely as possible in order to attract the ablest individuals as students, faculty, and staff. A diversity statement is part of the application. Members of the Geosciences Diversity Committee read and score all such statements anonymously to provide input to the Faculty Search Committee with whom they consult further.
Faculty serving on the Search Committee are receiving training on how to reduce unconscious bias in the academic hiring process.20 July 2020: Ibram X. Kendi speaks on How to Be an Antiracist.
14-15 July 2020: Experiences of Black STEM in the Ivory: A Call to Disruptive Action. This two-day event will bring together students, staff, faculty and leadership from five different academic institutions across the country to share their unique perspectives on the current barriers facing Black scholars in STEM fields with the goal of inspiring and challenging participants to take action to address racial inequities in STEM.
10 July 2020: First Townhall Meeting, for all members of the Department of Geosciences. On the agenda: report of past activities, ongoing initiatives and future plans, introduction of new members and new Committee membership structure, solicitation of new ideas, open forum. The event was attended by 68 students, staff, researchers, and faculty.
4 July 2020: The following Letter, written and signed by Faculty, was sent to President Eisgruber and the senior members of the University administration. Read more on some of the ensuing controversy.
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17 May 2019: Geosciences Alumna Christine Chen '13 visits campus to conduct Growing Healthy Labs, a workshop sponsored by PECRiG.
5 February 2019: Faculty, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and staff attend the streamed Webinar Departmental Climate and GeoEthics presented by David Mogk (Montana State University). Summary: Responsible conduct of scientists is as important as the responsible conduct of research to maintain the health of the scientific enterprise. This webinar explores the nature of personal interactions and how they impact individuals in academic departments. Principles of professionalism (trust, responsibility, respect, fairness, and justice) will be introduced followed by examples of (un)professional behaviors that impact the "climate" of a department (e.g., microaggressions, implicit bias, bullying, sexual harassment, among others). Suggestions will be made on ways to assess your departmental work climate (e.g., strategies for empowering bystanders; climate surveys), and concrete examples will be provided on how to prevent (or mitigate) threatening situations should they arise. Final reflections on where, and by whom, appropriate professional behaviors should be taught in the Earth Science curriculum will be addressed.
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7 February 2017: Geosciences Faculty attends a seminar by Dr. Alison Gammie, entitled Inclusive Teaching for a Diverse Scientific Workforce.
13-15 January 2017: Faculty delivered lectures at the APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP), in the session Hot Topics in Physics (and Related Fields), and postdoctoral researchers and graduate students organized and led lab tours of Guyot Hall. The Department, and individual members on its Faculty, contributed financially towards making this conference, which attracted 230 female undergraduate physicists to our campus, a success.
2016-2017: Faculty members from Geosciences took an active role in the organization of the on-campus APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). -
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15 December 2016: Geosciences Faculty participates in Career and Research Advice Mentorship (CRAM) sessions at the 2016 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
8 December 2016: Geosciences Faculty takes part in Project GuyotLift, an event organized by the Princeton Early Career Researchers in Geosciences (PECRiG).
27-30 October 2016: Geosciences Faculty and University staff attended the National Society of Black Physicists 2016 Conference: The Value of the Minority Physics Student: A Talent Source for America’s Technical Future, at Fermilab in Batavia, Ill. Geophysics faculty participated in panel discussions, and conducted resume-workshopping sessions with undergraduate attendees.
9 September 2016: Geosciences Faculty attends the Faculty Pilot Session on Implicit Bias with Andrea Iglesias and Glenda Russell.
14 June 2016: Geosciences Faculty attends Leveraging Diversity, Challenges and Opportunities, Parts I and II, a course taught by Dr Sharon Fries-Britt.
11 February 2016: Geosciences Faculty attends How to be a male ally to wome in STEM, a seminar hosted by Dr. Chris Kilmartin from the University of Mary Washington.
5 February 2016: Second meeting of the Local Organizing Committee of the 2017 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWIP).
27 January 2016: Geosciences Faculty participates in the workshop Creating an Inclusive Classroom: Ideas from Whistling Vivaldi, part of a series organized by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.
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11 December 2015: First meeting of the Local Organizing Committee of the 2017 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWIP).
9 September 2015: Geosciences Faculty participates in a Faculty Discussion on "Whistling Vivaldi", Princeton's Pre-read for the Class of 2019.
25-28 February 2015: Geosciences Faculty and University staff attended the National Society of Black Physicists 2015 Conference: Re-Visioning the Future of Scientific Leadership, in Baltimore, Md. Geophysics faculty presented the poster Geophysics: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.
25 February 2015: Faculty serve as panelists at the event Diversity in Science: A Conversation, which drew a large crowd from the Geosciences and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology departments.
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23 April 2014: Circulation of the plan Increasing Diversity in the Department of Geosciences, written by the Geosciences Diversity Committee, and endorsed by all Geosciences Faculty members.
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26 November 2013: Birth of the Geosciences Diversity Committee, chaired by Professor Jorge Sarmiento.
September 2013: Princeton University releases the report of the Trustee Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity.
History & Context
The Diversity Committee is an academic consultative ad hoc committee within the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University, devoted to promoting access, increasing diversity and fostering inclusivity both within the Department, the University, and the world at large. The University's Statement of Diversity and Community articulated as part of its Principles of General Conduct and Regulations writes that we actively seek students, faculty, and staff of exceptional ability and promise who share in our commitment to excellence in teaching and scholarship, and who will bring a diversity of viewpoints and cultures. By incorporating a broad range of human experiences and a rich variety of human perspectives, we enlarge our capacity for learning, enrich the quality and texture of campus life, and better prepare for life and leadership in a pluralistic society. (...) We seek to enable all members of this community to pursue their educational, scholarly, and career interests in an environment that recognizes both the distinctiveness of each person’s experience and the common humanity that unites us all, and permits us to take full educational advantage of the variety of talents, backgrounds, and perspectives of those who live and work here.
In its Statement on Freedom of Expression, the University furthermore states that it guarantees all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.(...) The ideas of different members of the University community will often and quite naturally conflict. But it is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Although the University greatly values civility, and although all members of the University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas (...) The University’s fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even by most members of the University community to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or wrong-headed. It is for the individual members of the University community, not for the University as an institution, to make those judgments for themselves, and to act on those judgments not by seeking to suppress speech, but by openly and vigorously contesting the ideas that they oppose. Indeed, fostering the ability of members of the University community to engage in such debate and deliberation in an effective and responsible manner is an essential part of the University’s educational mission. (...) The University has a solemn responsibility not only to promote a lively and fearless freedom of debate and deliberation, but also to protect that freedom when others attempt to restrict it.