#2 STEM Diversity and Public Policy

9/21/2022 1:45 am

By Dr. Caitlin Banks, Dr. Kat Daniels, Dr. Ana Ebrahimi, and Dr. Jenna Yentes.

This blog and section of the NACOB workshop included contributions by the whole group and could not have been done without Caitlin Banks, Kat Daniels, and Jenna Yentes.

On the topic of "STEM Diversity and Public Policy" at the Diversifying Your Workplace NACOB 2022 workshop, our goal was to introduce attendees to policies that support underrepresented and underserved individuals in the STEM fields, and actionable ways to support STEM diversity in their own environments.

Our speaker for the event was Dr. Michelle Jones-London, the Chief of the Office of Programs to Enhance Neuroscience Workforce Diversity at the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH NINDS). Dr Jones-London recently published an article on NINDS Strategies for Enhancing the Diversity of Neuroscience Researchers, and provided an overview in her talk of the strategies NIH NINDS is employing to increase workforce diversity. Current initiatives that were highlighted include:

The UNITE initiative to address structural racism and promote racial equity and inclusion at NIH and within the larger biomedical research field: https://www.nih.gov/ending-structural-racism/unite
The NIH FIRST extramural cohort hiring program to enhance and maintain cultures of inclusive excellence in the biomedical research community: https://commonfund.nih.gov/FIRST/highlights
NINDS extramural training and career development programs: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development

Dr Jones-London also discussed how these ideas can be implemented at the broader scientific community, institutional and individual level, focusing on the value that diversity brings at all levels. She shared strategies to address implicit bias and avoid gender bias in references, the key role of inclusive mentorship, and the responsibility of senior leadership to set the tone - “What gets measured gets done; what gets rewarded gets repeated”. A link to Dr Jones-London’s presentation recording can be found here for those who were unable to attend the workshop (or would just like to watch it again!).

We then went into roundtable discussions where we discussed three larger topics 1) Science Policy, 2) Workplace Climate/Culture, and 3) Lab Policies. A link to all the resources we shared at the roundtable discussions can be found here: https://bit.ly/STEMPolicy2022

Science Policy

Science policy, like biomechanics, comes in many forms! We started the discussion with some background on what science policy is, who does science policy, and where science policy takes place. A great blog to read for more information on science policy and a career path in this field is “Finding Your Science Policy Path” by Dr. Steph Guerra.

In our roundtables, we discussed how science policy is very broadly public policies that affect the conduct of science and/or scientific research. There are people who work in government settings to do what is sometimes called “Big P” policy, including drafting legislation or implementing policies, but there are also organizations that develop community-wide policies. For example, we saw a lot of universities and companies implement policies around COVID19, and as scientists, we can work to ensure policies are evidence-based. At our roundtables, we discussed the importance of being an informed scientific citizen and how we as scientists can play a role in communicating our understanding of science to the public.

There are several avenues to learn more about science policy:

For students, consider joining the National Science Policy Network or apply for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Public Policy Institute.
For PhD-level scientists at any career stage, consider the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. This 1 to 2 year fellowship is an “opportunity for scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking, bring valuable expertise to policy, and enhance STEM in the federal government.”

Workplace Climate/Culture

What is the culture of a workplace? This is the “personality” or shared values and beliefs that govern how we all behave in our workplace (e.g., “The way we do things around here”; the physical and social environment). There are three symbol “systems” that communicate the foundation or basic concepts of culture: stories, icons, and rituals. Stories are narratives that are based on true events, but they frequently combine facts and fiction. Some are myths and some are legends. Icons are physical artifacts that are used to communicate culture, for example, logos, mottos, and trophies. Rituals are the basic ceremonies that provide tangible examples of what is important in the organization. Culture is a descriptive term, that is, it is not evaluative. Organizational culture is concerned with how the characteristics of the company/organization are perceived – NOT if they are liked or disliked. It is not about job satisfaction.

Climate, on the other hand, is the “mood” or experiences people have while working. Think of this as the internal characteristics of an organization that influences the behavior of employees. For example, activities like wellness programs, social events, and celebrations can affect climate. Climate can also be dictated by the physical environment, leadership, recognition, career opportunities or development of the workplace.

During our roundtable discussions, we thought about the culture and climate of our own spaces, departments, and/or laboratories. We discussed how culture is often set by the founders, those that set the vision. It is reflected in policies and management. Therefore, we can and should make DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) part of the culture. We also discussed important aspects of a healthy climate and ways to promote positive behaviors, such as considering what holidays are recognized, flexible time, expectations on responding to emails at night and on weekends, lab social outings, interpersonal relationships, etc. Finally, we discussed how to evaluate climate which could include anything from turnover rate, to productivity, to employee complaints.

We asked attendees to consider a few action items, including:

If your lab has a library, consider how many of those books are devoted to creating a welcoming environment. We provide several books on our resources document: https://bit.ly/STEMPolicy2022
Write a vision statement for your laboratory (or department). If you have one written, evaluate it.
Create a plan to evaluate your lab (or department) climate. Possibly finding an I/O psychologist on campus to help you with this.

Lab Policies

Every lab has policies, whether formally presented to the research team or informally. Even though most countries have laws regarding fairness in hiring, there is no real oversight of policies in a laboratory (that is until someone reports a policy to higher administration). So, what are lab policies? These are written and unwritten rules of the laboratory. Written policies may be regarding how much funding you will receive per year for conference travel, while unwritten policies may be expectations regarding how the lab functions such as the expectation that you book enough time on the lab calendar to set up and break down your data collection.

In our roundtables, we talked about what inclusive policies look like, which could include the time of day that meetings get scheduled, policies regarding topics that can be discussed at work (e.g. religion and politics), or a policy regarding checking email or working on weekends. We also discussed how best to present lab policies to your team (e.g. formal documentation, word of mouth, using mentor-mentee contracts), and how to evaluate these policies to ensure they are inclusive. We asked attendees to consider how often they request feedback and in what form, and whether or not their staff would feel comfortable giving face-to-face feedback or anonymously. Discussions largely centered around how every lab leader has various strategies that work for their specific lab, but flexibility and amenability to change as the composition of the lab changes over time are important.

Our action items for attendees included:

Think through an alternative lens when considering your current lab policies
Set up a plan for regular feedback (and how to incorporate feedback)
Check out our Resources flyer for articles and podcasts regarding creating lab policies that are inclusive: https://bit.ly/STEMPolicy2022

Author: Dr. Caitlin Banks

Caitlin Banks, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA and the Executive Chair of Empowering Allies at IWB. Her research focuses on walking, lower extremity function, and health disparities in people with stroke. She did her graduate work at the University of Florida and the University of California, Davis. Outside the lab, she loves synchronized skating, figure skating, and playing with her puppy, Leo.

Author: Dr. Kat Daniels

Kat Daniels, PhD, is a locomotor biomechanics researcher and senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Author: Dr. Ana Ebrahimi

Ana Ebrahimi, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Mechanical Engineering Department’s Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests are in understanding the mechanics driving how humans walk with a gait disorder, such as Cerebral Palsy. She is a co-founder of the International Women in Biomechanics community and is a member of The Perry Initiative Advisory Board.

Author: Dr. Jenna Yentes

Jenna Yentes, PhD, is currently faculty in Health & Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Before starting her PhD (a bit later in life), she had worked for large and small companies and the United States federal government.