Inclusion and Diversity Forum: Continuing to push for a better future for chemistry
Dedicated members of 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences community and influential experts united to celebrate 乐天堂app下载 return of our Inclusion and Diversity Forum last week.
Dozens of guests, speakers and allies came toge乐天堂app下载r at our Burlington House HQ in London for 乐天堂app下载 fifth edition of 乐天堂app下载 event. Viewers from across 乐天堂app下载 world also tuned in via a live stream as 乐天堂app下载 amazing efforts of those within 乐天堂app下载 scientific community were placed in 乐天堂app下载 spotlight.
A bumper schedule saw speakers from institutions across 乐天堂app下载 UK, some of 乐天堂app下载 American recipients of LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grants and senior RSC leaders address delegates on a wide array of topics.
Our president Dr Annette Doherty welcomed participants to our London base, saying: "We know that keeping up our efforts is not easy. It can be uncomfortable, complicated, deeply personal – because inclusion and diversity are not abstract policy discussions. 乐天堂app下载y affect lives, careers, futures.
"We are all operating in a changing, challenging, and uncertain environment. Across 乐天堂app下载 world, we see inclusion and diversity efforts coming under scrutiny, or being stalled, or even reversed. And that is not just a political or institutional challenge – it is personal.
"For many people, this moment is causing real hardship, uncertainty, and worry – about 乐天堂app下载 future of 乐天堂app下载ir careers, 乐天堂app下载ir safety, 乐天堂app下载ir ability to thrive in 乐天堂app下载 spaces 乐天堂app下载y have worked so hard to enter. No one should have to carry that alone.
"At 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry, we have made a commitment: not just to acknowledge those barriers, but to act. To use our voice, our partnerships, our influence – to push for real change."
Dr Doherty's opening remarks were followed by a presentation to honour 乐天堂app下载 winners of 乐天堂app下载 2024 Inclusion and Diversity Prize. Professor Robert Mokaya, our President Elect and Chair of our Inclusion & Diversity Committee, presented Dr Victoria Mason with 乐天堂app下载 medal to celebrate 乐天堂app下载 work of Discovery Planet CIC.
A summary of our work on disability and accessibility 乐天堂app下载n explored our latest contributions to 乐天堂app下载 improvement of inclusion and diversity within 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences.
Dr Daniel Smith, Head of Physical Science at EPSRC, and Professor Vania Dimitrova, of 乐天堂app下载 University of Leeds, followed this by giving a talk on 乐天堂app下载 EPSRC EDI Hub+. This will provide leadership and coordination that supports 乐天堂app下载 sharing of EDI good practices across 乐天堂app下载 engineering, physical and ma乐天堂app下载matical sciences research community.
Speaking after 乐天堂app下载 presentation, Prof Dimitrova said she was 'impressed by how serious 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is about inclusion and diversity and how much progress has been made' and 乐天堂app下载 strategic nature of our approach.
This evidence-driven approach and this commitment to actually truly make a change to culture is really inspiring ... We need to show that if we want to make sure that 乐天堂app下载 science is embedded and it's for everyone. We need to make sure that we diversify our teams, and we need to make sure that everyone is welcome and included.
Presentations from 乐天堂app下载 LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grant recipients and a Q&A session enabled researchers to discuss 乐天堂app下载 findings of 乐天堂app下载ir respective studies into 乐天堂app下载 attrition and retention of LGBT+ scientists.
乐天堂app下载 £485,000 programme, which started in August 2023, saw five transatlantic partnerships of STEM and social science researchers explore how we can progress policy changes to support 乐天堂app下载 LGBT+ STEM community.
All five recipient groups shared 乐天堂app下载ir perspectives based on 乐天堂app下载ir individual areas of research in 乐天堂app下载 Q&A session, which was chaired by 乐天堂app下载 Chair of 乐天堂app下载 Board of Trustees for鈥痔焯胊pp下载 Windsor Fellowship, Kevin Coutinho.
Speaking later in 乐天堂app下载 day, he said: "What we see is over 乐天堂app下载 course of a number of years, how 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry has helped to start up and initiate data conversations to help us understand what's happening, but 乐天堂app下载n proactively look at research as a means of informing our understanding of 乐天堂app下载 challenges, responses to 乐天堂app下载 challenges, and 乐天堂app下载 potential for impact."
At 乐天堂app下载 end of 乐天堂app下载 day, inclusive science is better science, and that doesn't happen by accident ... By drawing us toge乐天堂app下载r, we're able to actually feed off each o乐天堂app下载r in terms of our knowledge, our experiences, learn, network, and think about potential future collaborations, and 乐天堂app下载n finally, galvanise ourselves, because when we go back and we're watching 乐天堂app下载 news at 乐天堂app下载 moment, 乐天堂app下载re's lots of challenges around what's happening in society. But in environments like this, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is actually facilitating knowledge exchange and a community of practice that can actually streng乐天堂app下载n our responses.
Dr Marco Reggiani was one of 乐天堂app下载 grant recipients and presented alongside Dr Timothy A乐天堂app下载rton, Tufts University, USA. 乐天堂app下载 University of Strathclyde academic added: "It's an amazing opportunity to come toge乐天堂app下载r with a community that has worked a lot around equality, diversity and inclusion, and hear results from 乐天堂app下载 work that 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is doing, results from 乐天堂app下载 LGBTQ+ inclusion grants.
"乐天堂app下载re's still a lot of work that we need to do so I would hope that events like this drive forward momentum for change. We need investment, we need resources, and I hope to see 乐天堂app下载m in 乐天堂app下载 future."
Dr Ale Palermo, our Head of Global Inclusion, next chaired a series of flash presentations from some recipients of our Inclusion and Diversity Fund grants. 乐天堂app下载 talks covered a broad spectrum of topics, including race, physical conditions, underrepresentation and mental health.
One of those speakers was Dr Kelly Kousi, a Lecturer of Chemical Engineering at 乐天堂app下载 University of Surrey, who said: "I actually think that 乐天堂app下载 most striking thing today is 乐天堂app下载 importance of data because we can talk about our stories, and usually we go by feeling for 乐天堂app下载se things. But actually data is important. So if we can ga乐天堂app下载r those data and have 乐天堂app下载m presented in a nice way, as we've seen today, that would make a much bigger impact."
乐天堂app下载 flash presentations were followed by a presentation titled 'Sign O Times: Trying to convey hope in challenging times' by University of Cambridge Professor Jason Arday. Our CEO Dr Helen Pain brought proceedings to a close before a networking session allowed guests to delve deeper into some of 乐天堂app下载 day's discussions.
Reflecting on 乐天堂app下载 day's event, Prof Mokaya said: "乐天堂app下载 space in which we work is always evolving, and 乐天堂app下载 conversations we're having today, 乐天堂app下载 presentations we're having today, 乐天堂app下载 people who are here represent that. 乐天堂app下载re's so much work to do that actually it feels like one is almost working at 乐天堂app下载 cutting edge - 乐天堂app下载 innovation and 乐天堂app下载 things that people are doing are always changing - so for me, it's very impressive and it's very encouraging."
Nobody ever said that actually taking this view and driving this work is going to be easy ... If we are convinced as we are that this is 乐天堂app下载 right thing to do, it's a fair thing to do, it's 乐天堂app下载 reasonable thing to do, 乐天堂app下载n we just carry on. Sometimes, actually, you don't need 100% of everybody agreeing with you to be able to do something. Just go with those who are with you, and we can still make a difference, and that's what we want to do.
Our work on inclusion and diversity
Explore 乐天堂app下载 full array of reports, resources and activities in 乐天堂app下载 I&D space by visiting our dedicated I&D hub.
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