Diversity & Inclusion for Excellence in Science (DI4ES)
Workshop Panel held during ICAR 2023 (in-person and online)
NAASC is hosting a panel on Thursday June 8, 2023, 12:45 pm local (JST) at ICAR 2023 in Chiba, Japan.
The “Diversity and Inclusion for Excellence in Science” panel workshop is organized by Dr. Joanna Friesner (NAASC, USA), Dr. Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso (Leeds University, UK), and Dr. Kanako Bessho-Uehara (Tohoku University, Japan).
Dr. Keiko Torii (HHMI/UT Austin, USA; Nagoya University, Japan) will serve as the panel moderator.
Dr. Benitez-Alfonso and Dr. Bessho-Uehara will be panelists along with Dr. Terri Long (NCSU, USA), Dr. R. Keith Slotkin (DDPSC, University of Missouri, NAASC, USA), Dr. Gabriela Auge (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Argentina), Andrea Ramirez, PhD Candidate (Stanford, USA), and Dr. Hironaka Tsukagoshi (Meijo University, Japan)
Research and training using Arabidopsis have been vital to the success of plant science due in large part to sustained global collaborations in the plant science community. While recent studies indicate clear benefits of diversity and inclusion, progress in these areas is slow and has been driven by a few countries. For example, the creative inputs of half the population- women- are not currently fully appreciated in all areas of science, or in all regions of the world. Sustained work in Arabidopsis that draws on the full talents of all in our community will be vital to effectively address current and future societal challenges. To ensure that Arabidopsis continues to be valuable to science and society, a robust, diverse, and self-renewing community is necessary.
This workshop will feature a panel of plant biology scientists that will provide diverse perspectives on the challenges of working within academia, and the benefits of creating and sustaining a diverse community to achieving excellence.
Organizers will survey attendees in advance to develop questions for the panel. The goals of this workshop are to provide diverse perspectives, encourage community discussions, and consider the value of diversity for achieving successful science. Post-ICAR, organizers will share a summary of key points made by panelists at the Arabidopsis Community website.
