Upcoming Event: Dr. Abigail Stewart will give her talk, "Addressing Unconscious Bias: Steps Toward an Inclusive Scientific Culture", Monday, March 26th at 2pm in the Bahcall Auditorium of STScI, followed by a discussion and reception
Dr. Abigail Stewart from U. Michigan will outline the nature of unconscious bias, as it operates to exclude or marginalize some participants in the scientific community. She will talk about how bias results from non-conscious expectations about certain groups of people, including scientists. She will outline scientific research in psychology, sociology and economics that has identified the impact these expectations have on interpersonal judgments that are at the heart of assessment of individuals' qualifications. This research helps us understand not only how bias operates within a single instance of evaluation, but how evaluation bias can accumulate over a career if not checked, creating an appearance of confirmation of biased expectations. Some research has focused on how best to interrupt and mitigate unconscious bias, and many institutions--including the University of Michigan--have identified strategic interventions at key points of institutional decision-making (particularly hiring, annual review, and promotion) that can make a difference. Dr. Stewart will describe these and illustrate how they can foster an inclusive scientific culture.
Welcome to the PandA Diversity page at JHU! Here, you will find information on upcoming meetings, past meeting minutes, and links to information and resources on diversity in Physics and Astronomy. You can share information and comments on our group wiki, as well as suggest topics for future meetings!
The goal of PandA Diversity at JHU is to increase awareness of the under-representation of women and minorities in the fields of Physics and Astronomy and its causes, including implicit and explicit discrimination and the difficulty of work/family balance, and to propose possible solutions, with the aim of increasing diversity and creating a climate of equal opportunity in these fields.