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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

last updated: November 9, 2022

Overview

We value and honor the uniqueness of each individual and embrace diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. We aim to prepare students, postdocs, and visiting scholars for their future as scientists and citizens in an equitable, inclusive, multicultural society.

Values

Our lab holds diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values and is committed to upholding them. Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, socioeconomic background, national or cultural origins, religion, political beliefs, different abilities, neurodiversity, and lifestyle. We will not tolerate any type of discrimination or bigotry.

We believe that supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion is an active processes that requires continuous, intentional commitment to promote a healthy work environment and to enable success of our team members and of our collective scientific mission.

We believe that our differences provide an opportunity to accelerate advances and innovations in science by bringing diverse perspectives, talents, approaches, and dialogue to solving key problems. Individual scientists have biases (scientific, cultural, political, economic, esthetic, etc.), and these biases infiltrate our work. Only by supporting a diverse set of perspectives can we hope to overcome these individual biases, together. Our research is empowered and strengthened by our diversity.

Actions

We pledge to support diversity, equity, and inclusion through the following set of actions:

  • We think deeply about the people around us and and actively cultivate a sense of empathy by considering the world through their points-of-view. We promote a culture of open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness among all team members.
  • We engage in inclusive, active, and individualized learning and mentoring. Just as the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) strives to integrate personalized approaches into our healthcare, we strive to build adaptive/personalized approaches to STEM education and training.
  • We understand that when individuals come from different backgrounds, they bring different ideas and perspectives. We will be considerate of and supportive of those perspectives while also sharing our own culture and values.
  • We promote cultural, personal, and individual expressions that contribute to meaningful interaction and dialogue, which help to build a welcoming, educational, and understanding community that is culturally informed.
  • We engage in outreach and community involvement, including K-12 curriculum development with ISB Education and Washington State Public Schools, the ISB summer internship program, and open-access bioinformatic worshops.
  • We acknowledge the existence of our unconscious biases and strive to identify and overcome them. Check out this resource, designed to help you understand your own unconscious biases.
  • As stated in our orientation document, we will always do our best to be kind and generous, and to acknowledge that we are fallible beings who will make mistakes that we will try to correct and learn from.
  • We have an open-door policy -- Sean is happy to discuss any feedback or concerns regarding our diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional, unceded land of the Coastal Salish people, including the Duwamish People past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. This acknowledgement does not take the place of authentic relationships with indigenous communities, but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on. Here is a resource that allows you to find out more about the native/indigenous peoples who reside/resided in your area.

Resources

Below are some key resources and information:

This is a living document, to be collectively reviewed and improved upon by the members of the group over time. The initial draft of this document was inspired by a similar document written by Ashley Shade.