Sam Staples Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 What are some ways you feel the Neuroscience community can better support diversity? Feel free to share experiences, resources, articles, and other materials that shine a light on how to enhance diversity in neuroscience. Hugo Sanchez-Castillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Araujo Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Firstly, I just want to emphasize how happy I am to discuss something related to diversity once more! Linking my emotions to an actual written content, I share the opportunity I'm having as a Community Leader. Just from the part of my context I'm happy to share - as a latina and undergraduate student - it's amazing to interact with such incredible researchers, doctors and all of you here at SfN! Yours experiences, kindness and engagement make it all amazing! After all, amidst the struggles - once there's no quick modification on the demographics of the scientific community as a whole - smaller steps might be the source to rely on. Surely, it's a scenario I'm gratefully finding at many science and academia groups but, specifically, extremely happy to see it happening here at SfN. Resources, such as content (incredible stories and articles) and the creation of programs - like the Community Leader opportunity for Early Career scientists - are mere exemples on how I gladly see change beginning to appear, though at my local and immediate surroundings. Engaging people from all backgrounds - degrees and life experiences included - might be just the beginning, but it has been done thoroughly. Doing our own bests it's not all that matters. Still, it represents the will and the courage for the changes we are going to see on the future. Hugo Sanchez-Castillo and Bianca Williams 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Sanchez-Castillo Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Diversity, diversity, diversity... I remember my history classes where I learned about the monarchy. One really interesting point was the huge amount of diseases that the royalty suffered (hemophilia, porphyria, hydrocephaly, etc.), and when I realized that was because of the inbreed conditions, that blew my mind!!!. In other words, they didn't have diversity!!!. The lack of diversity in science could miss all these ideas, projects, and goals. If we miss the diversity in science we are not taking a good approach to the nature of all their phenomena. We need all the theories, all the ideas, and all the methods because is the way in which science works. If we fail in that, we may have the risk of having a biased science, because we are not viewing all the points of view. The diversity, (wherever it has come), gets to the science a contra intuitive posture, a challenge against the well-established theories... (I'm crying of happiness right now)... In my personal experience, I was awarded the "Ricardo Miledi Neuroscience Program in 2005". We were 15 students from all over Latin America, we discussed, worked, and proposed experiments and we discussed with well-established international tutors, let me tell you, it was amazing because they listened and opened their minds to our perspective, we learned and we did understand different approaches of science. Four years after that I was accepted in Columbia University for my postdoctoral stay. All these things happened to me!!! As a Mexican student, researcher, and professor, all those things happened because diversity matters; we have to still fighting for that, and we have to take the opportunities and apply for the resources and the grants. If we do not raise our voice, it does it matters if science needs it, simply, nobody is going to hear. There are ears for us (the SFN is one of them) but we need to speak and say it!!... I love you, everybody!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valeria muoio Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 I think it is very important that we give everyone a voice. No one with good ideas should be prevented from presenting them because of their individual characteristics, whatever they may be. With 8 billion humans on this small planet, we are clearly failing to feed, care for, heal and nourish many of us. We need good, bold ideas, coming from different people, because the same solutions, which we have been using for years, are categorically failing. Diversity and versatility are what have made humans successful as a species, so it is only natural to encourage this path. Scientific organizations must be leaders in giving voice and promoting diversity, it must be a safe environment for people to express their ideas, plurality and diversity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Rolando Hernández Espinosa Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 To promote diversity and inclusivity in neuroscience, we should implement policies that promote diversity and fairness, celebrate voices from all backgrounds, establish mentorship programs, engage schools and communities, provide training on cultural competency, allocate resources to support diversity initiatives, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, create safe spaces and networks, assess diversity efforts, and track progress to ensure momentum. "We cannot afford to ignore underrepresented groups any longer. To achieve true social justice, we must provide them with the necessary resources to succeed. Bianca Williams 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts