Inclusivity Scholars Program

The Inclusivity Scholars Program (ISP) is organized by the Inclusivity Scholars Subcommittee (ISS)

Current ISP Co-Chair:s NAASC members Ment Ayalew (Spelman College) & Sharon Kessler (Purdue University)

Past ISP co-chairs: NAASC member Cris Argueso (Colorado State University), Siobhan Brady (former NAASC member) and Terri Long (community member)

Since 2004, NAASC has continuously secured funding (primarily via the US National Science Foundation) to support members of under-represented groups in US STEM to participate at the annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR).

NAASC has provided full conference support for more than 110 ISP Scholars:

  • Students and postdoctoral scholars from groups underrepresented in USSTEM

  • Faculty that are members of underrepresented groups in US STEM and/or that teach & mentor members of underrepresented groups at Minority-Serviing Institutions (MSI), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) in the US

Starting in 2014 NAASC began developing ISP-specific programs at North American ICAR and pre-arranging, group travel for ISP participants to attend international ICARs.

This is now known as our ISP Cohort Program

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.

We organize shared meals and safe spaces, facilitate research discussions in smaller group settings to engage and deepen relationships among the cohort and between newer and established leaders

ISP Activities include

  • 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

See past ISP Cohort groups!

ISP & NAASC collaborate with others to support DEIB:

Changing Cultures and Climates (hosted by Plantae at ASPB)

  • an excellent resource (developed by NAASC member Siobhan Braybrook) is the anti-racism toolkit which includes numerous resources aimed at various entry points including

    • Feeling the Problem: this collection aims to help us start listening to the experiences of people of color within the Science community.

    • Start with Yourself: this collection aims to provide resources to help each of us work on understanding how we have internalized and held up racism, and then to start working towards anti-racist actions.

    • Interpersonal Work: this collection aims to provide pieces and resources to help us build more equitable and positive interpersonal relationships, for example with colleagues and in mentoring.

    • Institutional Work: this collection aims to provide us with information and reflection on how we can work to build anti-racist institutions.

    • For Educators: this collection specifically provides resources and pieces looking at building more inclusive, anti-racist, classrooms.

    Initiatives developed by past NAASC ISP Scholars:

  • The Front and Center Initiative to highlight and address the unmet needs of plant scientists who encounter racism in their pursuit of knowledge and discovery. The project increases the visibility of Black, Indigenous, & Latine Plant Scientists. Founder: Edith Pierre-Jerome

  • The “Adventitious Roots” private Discord server features a diversity of ways to engage with other Black, Indigenous, and & Latine Plant Scientists. Founder: Imani Madison.

Root and Shoot Research Coordination Network (RCN) led by ASPB. A five-year grant awarded through the NSF’s LEAPS [LEAding cultural change through Professional Societies (LEAPS) of Biology] program. The RCN includes American Phytopathological Society (APS), American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), Botanical Society of America (BSA), International Society for Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI), Maize Genetics Cooperation (MGC), North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC), as well as other organizations that serve marginalized scientists.

A group of smiling people at a table with several drinks;

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.

“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.”
— NAASC ISP awardee
“The conversation was rich and helpful in helping the group self-reflect on the conference. By going around the table during the dinner 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 conversations later in the meeting which were more targeted, focused and personal between individuals.”
— NAASC ISP Awardee