The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a report titled “Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation” on February 14th. The report addresses how organizational and individual level racism has made it harder for minoritized groups to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) careers through historical, research, and lived contexts, and provides recommendations for organizations and leadership to improve ADEI within their existing systems. (See event agenda)
Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences, provided welcome remarks, and Dr. Daniel Weiss, Director of the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) opened the session. Dr. Susan Fiske, Professor at Princeton University and Editor of the FABBS journal, Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (PIBBS) and Dr. Gilda Barabino, President of Olin College served as study Co-Chairs. Current and past FABBS members are actively involved with NASEM leadership and reports. (See FABBS’ previous article).
Committee members provided recommendations for organizations, individuals, and teams to bolster inclusion, including:
- Collecting data on gatekeeper decisions
- Including ADEI in leadership role descriptions
- Incorporating diversity in developing team roles
- Addressing norms that impede diversity
- Anticipating resistance to ADEI efforts
The report also identified major existing gaps within ADEI research:
- Impact of reparations by institutions to reduce disparities and systemic racism
- Consequences of structural financial investments for minoritized communities
- Examination of the efforts to reduce the racial hierarchy and structural barriers
- Analysis of systems, dynamics, and incentives that advance ADEI principles
- Investigation of effective trainings, policies, practices, and leadership that promote ADEI within STEMM organizations
- Development and empirical testing of interventions that improve inclusion in STEMM
While minoritized people are projected to represent the majority of the U.S. population by 2045, they are still not equally represented in educational attainment due to non-inclusive work cultures and gatekeeping into academic institutions. In closing, presenters emphasized, “it is not enough to increase diverse representation in STEMM, we also need equitable and inclusive environments.”
To learn more about ADEI in STEM, check out the below curated articles from Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (PIBBS):
- Girls and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Stemming the Tide and Broadening Participation in STEM Careers
- Boosting the Sustainable Representation of Women in STEM with Evidence-Based Policy Initiatives
- Fixing STEM Workforce and Teacher Shortages: How Goal Congruity Can Inform Individuals and Institutions
- Diversity Science and Institutional Design
- Leveraging Social Capital to Broaden Participation in STEM
