Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 10;11(8):3636-3645.
doi: 10.1002/ece3.7321. eCollection 2021 Apr.

You are welcome here: A practical guide to diversity, equity, and inclusion for undergraduates embarking on an ecological research experience

Bonnie M McGill  1 , Madison J Foster  1   2 , Abagael N Pruitt  1   3 , Samantha Gabrielle Thomas  1 , Emily R Arsenault  1 , Janaye Hanschu  1 , Kynser Wahwahsuck  1 , Evan Cortez  1 , Kaci Zarek  1 , Terrance D Loecke  1   4 , Amy J Burgin  1   4   5
Affiliations

You are welcome here: A practical guide to diversity, equity, and inclusion for undergraduates embarking on an ecological research experience

Bonnie M McGill et al. Ecol Evol. .

Abstract

As we build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in the ecological research community, we must work to support new ecologists by empowering them with the knowledge, tools, validation, and sense of belonging in ecology to succeed. Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are critical for a student's professional and interpersonal skill development and key for recruiting and retaining students from diverse groups to ecology. However, few resources exist that speak directly to an undergraduate researcher on the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dimensions of embarking on a first research experience. Here, we write primarily for undergraduate readers, though a broader audience of readers, especially URE mentors, will also find this useful. We explain many of the ways a URE benefits undergraduate researchers and describe how URE students from different positionalities can contribute to an inclusive research culture. We address three common sources of anxiety for URE students through a DEI lens: imposter syndrome, communicating with mentors, and safety in fieldwork. We discuss the benefits as well as the unique vulnerabilities and risks associated with fieldwork, including the potential for harassment and assault. Imposter syndrome and toxic field experiences are known to drive students, including students from underrepresented minority groups, out of STEM. Our goal is to encourage all students, including those from underrepresented groups, to apply for UREs, build awareness of their contributions to inclusion in ecology research, and provide strategies for overcoming known barriers.

Keywords: diversity; ecology; equity; inclusion; undergraduate research experience.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The undergraduate research experience (URE) is analogous to mycorrhizal fungi in symbiosis with a plant. In a URE, the contributions of the research mentor and community to the student's development are expected to outweigh the optional contributions listed here that the student can make to the laboratory culture. Original artwork
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Strategies for undergraduate research experience (URE) students to successfully navigating three potential sources of anxiety. Original artwork
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. ADVANCEGeo Partnership . (2019). In the field. ADVANCEGeo Partnership. Retrieved from https://serc.carleton.edu/advancegeo/resources/field_work.html
    1. ADVANCEGeo Partnership (2020). Codes of conduct. ADVANCEGeo Partnership. Retrieved from https://serc.carleton.edu/207402
    1. Archie, T. , & Laursen, S. (2013). Executive summary: Summative report on the Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN) NSF ADVANCE PAID collaborative award (2009–2013). Ethnography and Evaluation Research, Boulder, Colorado. Retrieved from https://www.colorado.edu/eer/sites/default/files/attached‐files/eswnfina.... Accessed February 21, 2021.
    1. Arnold, A. C. , Wilkins‐Yel, K. G. , Bekki, J. M. , Bernstein, B. L. , Natarajan, M. , Randall, A. K. , Francies, R. , & Okwu, C. E. (2020). Examining the effects of STEM climate on the mental health of graduate women from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. In American Society for Engineering Education Conference Proceedings. 10.18260/1-2--34617 - DOI
    1. Beltran, R. S. , Marnocha, E. , Race, A. , Croll, D. A. , Dayton, G. H. , & Zavaleta, E. S. (2020). Field courses narrow demographic achievement gaps in ecology and evolutionary biology. Ecology and Evolution, 10(12), 5184–5196. 10.1002/ece3.6300 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources