As part of our shift to support more members of the Atlantic post-secondary STEM community, we have looked at the overall structure of Science Atlantic and recognized there are gaps we need to fill. One of them is related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
As a first step, we have reviewed and updated our policies to ensure EDI is reflected in our core principles, including the Science Atlantic Student Support Philosophy [en | fr] and Student Conference Policies [en | fr].
Now, we’re taking the next step to actively implement these important priorities.
We started in November 2020, at our Annual Members Meeting, with guest speaker Cynthia Sweeney, founder of Simply Good Form. Cynthia spoke to more than 50 participants – deans, faculty, students, and Science Atlantic staff – about increasing connectedness and inclusivity and what it means to go beyond the binary.
Call for Volunteers!
We are looking for volunteers to expand our current efforts to support a more diverse, inclusive, and progressive science community in Atlantic Canada. We plan to establish a working group whose purpose will be to advise Science Atlantic on strategy and actions to move forward with EDI. This volunteer opportunity is open to all: current and former faculty, students and grads, and members of the broader community.
Nola Etkin, Dean of Science at UPEI and a member of the Science Atlantic Strategic Planning Committee, is leading this initiative. “The goal,” she says, “is to be proactive, not just more inclusive. We want to build the structure needed to support this work in the future.”
If you’re interested in shaping the actions and work of this group, please sign up on our Broadening Horizons Info Hub so we can follow up with more details. We will host an exploratory discussion in April and will post more details as they are available on Twitter and Facebook.