The struggles of STEM fields in the area of diversity and inclusion are getting a lot of attention these days, and rightfully so. My understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM has built over the years, and continues to grow as I learn more about the numerous issues affecting underrepresented groups. Serving as President of the Biophysical Society has helped me crystalize some of my thoughts, which I would like to share here.
In many academic fields, diversity of thought makes the field richer and more relevant to society, but in STEM fields, we aspire to discover truths that are invariant. For example, I am quite certain that we can predict how gravity works everywhere on earth regardless of local customs or beliefs. Even though we aim to achieve uniformity of thought on objective truths, there are countless paths to establishing consensus around scientific facts. The more diverse paths we can use to solve problems, the better chance we have of discovering and understanding the underlying truths.
This diversity of approach is crucial for scientific discovery. In my experience, paradigm-changing results tend to be the product of a chance discovery that captured the attention of well-prepared and curious researchers. Who are these well-prepared and curious researchers? As a department chair, I wish I had a crystal ball to answer that question in advance! Numerous studies over the last 10 years have shown that the combination of skills needed to be successful in research are distributed across gender, race, and socioeconomic background, and that cultural differences play a bigger role than genetic differences in achievement gaps. As but one example, the proportion of women in research jobs is one of the most powerful predictors of the gender gaps in mathematics achievement (see e.g., Else-Quest et al., Psychological Bulletin 136: 103–127, 2010). If we want to maximize scientific discoveries that will help solve societal problems, we must maximize the scientific workforce, and this necessarily means opening it up to everyone.
Concluding that diversity is an imperative is the simple part. To achieve diversity, we need inclusion, and building inclusive communities has proven difficult in general. For research professions, the unwritten rules and expectations can be even tougher to overcome. Having grown up in an academic family, concepts such as research, a PhD, and tenure seemed instinctive to me. We too often assume that our students, postdocs, and faculty are knowledgeable about policies and procedures, but in my experience, this has proven a poor assumption. I have learned to explain even the simplest academic policies and processes to my students, postdocs, and faculty recruits from the most basic levels. For example, many first generation students think that they need a master’s degree to apply for PhD programs, so they don’t apply to programs for which they are well-qualified. The bottom line is that we must be more transparent and accepting to help integrate people from diverse backgrounds.
As I wrote last month, I hope that the Biophysical Society will become the leading society in support of diversity and inclusion in STEM. The Society has been working towards diversity in speakers at the Annual Meeting, representation on committees, and leadership positions. This year, the Society Council and committees are redoubling their efforts to be proactive in this area, with special attention to the conclusions and recommendations of the 2018 National Academies report on sexual harassment of women in science. Gender equity is important to the Society. Programming at the 2020 Annual Meeting will highlight the issues detailed in the National Academies report and help show our members how we can cultivate an organizational climate that is inclusive, based on respect and civility. At the same time, we must be inclusive of our members who come from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, and those who may face challenges due to disabilities. I expect that future programming will help all of us become more mindful of these needs.
I hope that you will all join me in the work needed to establish a robust inclusive culture and climate in our Society and field of research. Based on the progress we have made so far and the enthusiasm I have seen from Society members, I am certain that we can do this. We will need to listen carefully, and without judgement, to our members when they express concerns, anxiety, or even fear. It will not be easy, nor will it be comfortable for many of us, but the resulting stronger, more stable, and happier field will be well worth the effort.
—David W. Piston