Fostering equity in science

ACerS commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity

The American Ceramic Society represents all people involved in the global ceramics and glass community. Our common enthusiasm for solving grand challenges with ceramic and glass materials binds us and leaves no room for artificial boundaries. Therefore, we must continually challenge ourselves to create an interpersonal culture of diversity in the Society and do our best to export it throughout our sphere of influence.

As part of those steps, ACerS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee developed this resource page to provide ACerS members and others in the materials science community a readily accessible list of recommendations for fostering diversity, inclusivity, and equity on an individual and organizational level.

Learning resources

Fostering community discussion

Discussing diversity, inclusion, and equity as a community is one of the first steps to making the materials science and engineering profession more welcoming and inclusive. That is why ACerS, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST), and The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) cohosted a town hall on these topics during Virtual MS&T20 on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The ACerS Northern California Section also hosted a webinar on these topics on Sept. 28, 2021. Speakers from academia, industry, and ACerS Board of Directors provided their insight regarding concrete actions for individuals and organizations to take to address subconscious biases and improve representation.

View recordings of both presentations here and here.

To offer a platform for continuous discussion, the D&I Subcommittee launched a diversity and inclusion group within ACerS Member Community. ACerS members can take part in the discussion by joining the Diversity & Inclusion Member Community here.

Learn more about the D&I Member Community

Individual

There are many steps you can take on an individual level to foster diversity, inclusivity, and equity in the sciences. The resources below offer some recommendations to help you get started.

Terminology

One of the first steps in fostering an inclusive environment is understanding the terminology used to talk about this topic. The Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Pacific University in Oregon has put together an expansive list of key terms used in this field.

“Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Glossary of Terms”

When it comes to the big three terms—diversity, inclusion, and equity—these terms are sometimes treated as synonyms even though they each have distinct meanings. An article on The Scholarly Kitchen breaks down the difference between these terms and explains why understanding this difference helps us to place emphasis on the right efforts.

“Revisiting: The Problem with Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity”

Putting this terminology into practice can be challenging without concrete examples. The Inclusivity Style Guide by the American Chemical Society demonstrates how to communicate in ways that recognize and respect diversity in all its forms.

Impacts of discrimination

Knowing the impacts of discrimination and bias on certain groups can help us to recognize our own privileges and to understand the issues that need to be addressed. Below are a few reports and a virtual public workshop by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that look at some of these impacts.

“Diversity and STEM: Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities” (2023)

“The State of Anti-Black Racism in U.S. Science, Engineering, and Medicine: A Workshop” (2021)

“The impacts of racism and bias on Black people pursuing careers in science, engineering, and medicine” (2020)

“Sexual harassment of women: Climate, culture, and consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine” (2018)

Both the American Physical Society (2016) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (2019) released reports on the educational and professional climate in physics and the physical sciences, respectively, for those who identify as LGBTQ+. These reports identified some of the impacts that harassment and discrimination have on this community.

“Exploring the workplace for LGBT+ physical scientists” (2019)

“LGBT+ climate in physics” (2016)

Beyond the gender imbalance in the number of scientific researchers, the literature consistently reports a large gender disparity in terms of scholarly publication. In 2017, Elsevier produced a report on the role of gender within the structure of the global research enterprise and the causes for gender disparity by looking at the outputs, quality, and impact of research worldwide. In 2020, Elsevier released an updated report that builds on the previous one by examining critical aspects of contribution, performance, and influence through a gender lens. Find additional Elsevier reports on gender in research here.

“The researcher journey through a gender lens” (2020)

“Gender in the global research landscape” (2017)

Confronting bias

How do we on a personal level work to dismantle systems of discrimination and bias? The LinkedIn Learning courses below provide guidance on how to do so.

“Confronting bias: Thriving across our differences” by Vernā Myers

“Communicating about culturally sensitive issues” by Daisy Lovelace

Confronting bias also requires knowledge of the implicit biases you may have. Project Implicit is a nonprofit organization and international collaborative of researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition. It offers several tests that can help you determine what implicit biases you may have.

Organizational

There are many steps an organization can take to foster diversity, inclusivity, and equity in their workplace and larger community. The resources below offer some recommendations to help organizations get started.

Address disparities in scholarly publishing

In 2019, a proposal to address racism in scholarly publishing was submitted to the Triangle Scholarly Communications Institute (TSCI), a forum for teams of individuals from diverse backgrounds to articulate and begin to address needs and opportunities in the domain of scholarly communications.

From that proposal developed three planned toolkits that provide a common framework, shared vocabulary, and best practices to address racial disparities specific to scholarly publishing. The three toolkits are available for download at the links below, as well as a guidelines expansion that TSCI released in October 2022.

Antiracism Toolkit for Allies

Antiracism Toolkit for Organizations

Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication

When it comes to standards publications, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released guidance on effective wording in technical standards to help writers express ideas in language that is both clear and welcoming to all readers.

Guidance for NIST staff on using inclusive language in documentary standards (NISTIR 8366)

Address disparities in science, engineering, and medicine

In recent years, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted several studies investigating the discrimination and biases faced by different groups in the sciences, engineering, and medicine fields. They have since released several follow-up reports with recommendations on how to address these issues and make science a more welcoming environment for all types of people.

“Advancing antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEMM organizations” (2023)

“Promising practices for addressing the underrepresentation of women in science, engineering, and medicine” (2020)

“Advancing diversity in the US industrial science and engineering workforce: Summary of a workshop” (2014)

“Maximizing American talent by advancing women of color in academia: Summary of a conference” (2013)

In June 2023, the National Academies held a conversation series that explored issues related to the accessibility and inclusivity of STEM workplaces for people with disabilities. All event recordings and materials from this series are available at this link.

The National Science and Technology Council also released a report outlining best practices for supporting diversity and inclusion in STEM education and research.

“Best Practices for Diversity & Inclusion in STEM Education & Research: A guide by & for Federal Agencies” (2021)

For students looking to pursue a degree in STEM, the Campus Pride Index, which launched in 2007, gathers data from academic institutions on their LBGTQ+ inclusion policies to compare learning environments across institutions. The free online tool helps prospective students and families/parents choose LGBTQ+ friendly campuses to improve the academic experience and quality of campus life.

For students who have hearing impairments, the lack of sign language for scientific terminology can be a significant barrier to pursuing a career in science. Fortunately, as this C&EN article explains, work is being done to expand sign language for scientific terminology. For example, ASLCore, a group of interpreters and students with hearing impairements based out of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York, developed advanced ASL signs in several disciplines.

Address disparities in the workplace

In 2014, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) held the First TMS Summit on Creating and Sustaining Diversity in the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Professions (DMMM1). The insights and recommendations gained from this event served as the foundation to develop a toolkit that provides a framework for addressing diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace and professional community.

TMS Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit

Part of addressing discrimination in the workplace involves cultivating an environment of intentionality. The “Racial Equity Toolkit” by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity provides a framework to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity in decisions, including policies, practices, programs, and budgets. The framework can be used to integrate explicit consideration of other marginalized communities as well.

Racial Equity Toolkit: An opportunity to operationalize equity

The LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign works with corporate and civil society leaders, multinationals, corporations, and stakeholders to promote the best policies and practices for LGBTQ+ employees nationwide. Their annual “Corporate Equality Index” offers a guide for businesses to help ensure their existing policy and benefits infrastructure is inclusive of the LGBTQ+ workforce and their families. They also have a resource page that offers additional information by topic, including hate crimes, laws & legislation, and workplace.

“Corporate Equality Index”

Tools for equality and inclusion

In 2010, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched America Healing, a national initiative to foster racial healing and racial equity. From that initiative developed the “Racial Equity Resource Guide,” which provides an online database of articles, books, media strategies, and training curricula for organizations and individuals working to achieve racial healing and equity in their communities.

Racial Equity Resource Guide

Establish effective mentoring relationships

Effective mentoring relationships are known to have an overall positive effect on academic achievement, retention, and degree attainment, as well as on career success and satisfaction. As such, mentoring is an important way to help increase diversity in STEM.

In 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report on the science of effective mentorship, in addition to an online interactive guide to support institutions, departments, and faculty members in implementing the report’s recommendations.

“The science of effective mentorship in STEMM” (2019)

“The science of effective mentorship in STEMM: Online guide V1.0”

In 2021, the Board on Higher Education and Workforce of the National Academies started a new podcast on mentorship to expand on the above report. It features personal stories about mentorship experiences from STEMM leaders.

“The Science of Mentorship”

ACerS also runs three mentoring programs that are designed to equip students, faculty members, and industry professionals in materials science with the insight, tools, and connections necessary to make a lasting impact in their careers. Learn more about ACerS mentor programs below.

ACerS Mentor Programs

ACerS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee

In 2017, ACerS established the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee under the Member Services Committee to develop short-term and long-term initiatives to attract and retain individuals from underrepresented groups into materials science and the Society, reduce unintentional bias, and ensure equal opportunities for all members.

DEI leadership

2021–24: Theresa Davey, Chair 2022–24 /
2020–25: Margeaux Wallace / GE Research
2021–24: Kaline Furlan / Hamburg University of Technology
2022–25: Amitabha Kumar / Solidia Technologies
2022–24: Lavina Backman, YPN Member / Naval Research Laboratory
2023–24: John Bussey, PCSA Rep / Washington State University
2023–24: Michael Thuis, PCSA Rep / Northwestern University
2022–24: Kristin Breder, Liaison to Multi-Society Diversity Council / Saint-Gobain Research North America
2020–24: Lisa Rueschhoff, Chair of Member Services Committee / Air Force Research Laboratory
2023–24: Gurpreet Singh, Chair of Society Awards Committee / Kansas State University
2023–26: Elizabeth Opila, Member of Society Awards Committee / Carnegie Mellon University
2023–26: Diletta Giuntini, ACerS member / Eindhoven University of Technology
2023–26: Charmayne Lonergan, ACerS member / Missouri University of Science and Technology
2023–24: Mario Affatigato, ACerS President-elect Nominee / Coe College
ACerS staff liasons: Andrea Ross and Lisa McDonald

Contact

Do you have ideas for the DEI Subcommittee or wish to collaborate? Email Andrea Ross, ACerS director of meetings, membership, and marketing, at aross@ceramics.org.

Learn more about the D&I Member Community

ACerS statement on diversity and inclusion

The American Ceramic Society values and seeks diverse and inclusive participation within the field of ceramic science and engineering. ACerS strives to promote involvement and access to leadership opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, appearance, geographic location, career path, or academic level.

ACerS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee

Fostering equity in science

ACerS commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity

Learning resources

Fostering community discussion

Individual

Organizational

ACerS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee

Contact

Get In Touch

Search the Site

Navigate

For Members