Inclusivity Scholars Cohort Program
The Inclusivity Scholars Cohort Program is organized by the Inclusivity Scholars Subcommittee (ISS)
Current ISP Co-Chairs: Cris Argueso and Mentewab Ayalew, NAASC members
Cohort Coordinator: Joanna Friesner, NAASC Executive Director
Past ISP co-chairs: Siobhan Brady (former NAASC member) and Terri Long (community member)
Since 2004, NAASC has provided full conference support for more than 110 ISP Scholars
NAASC has continuously secured funding (with gratitude to the US National Science Foundation) to support members of underrepresented groups in US STEM to participate in the annual ICAR..
Beyond access, there are vital needs for inclusion & belonging.
The Inclusivity Scholars Subcommittee recognize that international conferences are great opportunities for opening doors to new career opportunities and collaboration, yet they can also be isolating and intimidating..
What does the Cohort Program look like?
In ~2010 we committed to expand beyond access and strive for inclusion & belonging: in addition to funding, we organized ISP networking luncheons for awardees & members of NAASC (& invited speakers) so that ISP folks could meet each other & members of the plant science community in an informal setting.
At "home" ICARs we set up mentoring by matching NAASC members (& invited speakers, when possible) with ISP awardees that had shared interests or requested the mentors.
We established ISP cohort-specific workshops, led by NAASC members or other community volunteers. This evolved into half-day sessions at NAASC-led "home" ICARs where ISP awardees presented their research to NAASC and invited guests, followed by networking activities. We often invited NSF program directors to participate, including arranging informal breakfast meetings between ISP awardees and agency representatives. These activities had the objectives to develop networks amongst ISP awardees, NAASC, other senior plant scientists, & members of funding agencies, to break down barriers in access, and to establish and nurture relationships.
Budgets reflect priorities. Depending on ICAR location and associated costs, full funding packages range from $2,000-$5,000 per person. Our current NSF award commits 55% of participant support (43% of total direct costs) for direct support of ISP (39%) & Early Career scholars (16%).
In 2015 we took the ISP cohort program further by coordinating shared travel for ISP awardees so that they had peers to travel with, talk to, & (hopefully) feel a sense of community before they arrived. We arrange for awardees to travel, stay in lodging, and attend the conference, together, by arranging/paying for hotels & flights (up front so awardees didn't have the burden of the costs) & seek numerous volunteer faculty to act as mentors, including during travel & hosting group meals & participating in cohort-supportive activities.
In the last several years, our cohort program has evolved to include more (virtual) get-togethers, separate from ICAR, to include more ISP awardees. We've had check-ins following significant traumatic events that have affected our cohort members deeply. Following a check-in, the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, two ISP cohort members were inspired to develop new initiatives to address an unmet need for Black, Indigenous and Latine plant scientists to find each other in predominantly white, academic spaces. Their goals were to cultivate community & belonging, combat isolation & loneliness, develop networks, and increase the visibility & representation of Black, Indigenous and Latine plant scientists.
Edith Pierre-Jerome created the Front & Center project on Instagram that features Black, Indigenous, & Latine plant scientists in weekly communications (@frontandcenterps)
Imani Madison created the invitation-only virtual Discord server, "Adventitious Roots", to enable private connections & a refuge from all too-often hostile academic spaces.
ISP Cohort Activities Summary List
Assistance with or pre-arranging group travel
Pre-conference cohort connections via Zoom calls
Engagement with NSF program Officers
Professional development opportunists
Shared meals and safe spaces
One-on-one mentoring with NAASC PIs and other Arabidopsis researchers
ISP Cohort for ICAR 2022-Belfast
David Bullock North Carolina State University
Norma Castro Guerrero University of Missouri
Efren Gonzalez Carnegie Institution for Science
Michael Guzman UC Riverside
Carlos Juarez Colorado State University
Stefanie King Washington University in St. Louis
Imani Madison North Carolina State University
Thelma Madzima University of Washington Bothell
Marcel Malena New York University
Edith Pierre-Jerome Duke University
Carin Ragland Stanford University
NAASC thanks the longstanding support of the US National Science Foundation that has provided funding to support the participation of many US members of underrepresented groups in STEM as well as early career scholars. Our current grant funding (participant support) is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1518280
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
“Knowing I was not going to be alone both during travel or during the meeting made me feel more comfortable and less anxious.”
“As a faculty cohort leader, I thought the format worked extremely well- we were able to navigate the logistics of attending ICAR (internationally) as a team, which is always less daunting. Sharing meals & other “non-science” events allowed for important conversations (professional & personal) to occur in a meaningful way. The format also allowed for mentoring opportunities on my end that I otherwise may not have had. ”
“I enjoyed the group dinner- Dr. Brady led a good discussion about issues or challenges we have faced during careers. The conversation was rich and helpful, and by going around the table to provide an opportunity for everyone to speak about their careers, it allowed everyone to share their thoughts and provided insights into their experiences. This facilitated other more targeted, focused and personal conversations later in the meeting.”
“Having a cohort to navigate the meeting was very useful to me. It allowed me to expand my network and interact with other underrepresented plant biologists.”
“I absolutely felt I was part of a unique group that helped one another throughout the conference. We met for meals, during symposia breaks, and for social outings.”