Meet the Panellists of the Diversity in STEM Panel

At ISME19, panellists will be sharing their lived experiences and answering questions from the audience to explore the ways that our community can prevent the disparities in career outcomes and opportunities that are too often associated with systematically marginalized scientists.

STEM fields, especially ecology and biology that our field of microbial ecology sits in, are entrenched in racism, colonialism, sexism, ableism, etc. that create a highly exclusive system (Cronin et al. 2021; Trisos et al. 2021). Racism and colonialism ARE ecological issues and working to create a more inclusive environment is a priority of the International Society of Microbial Ecology.

The  Diversity in STEM panel will be held on Thursday 22 August from 13.30-14.30 in Ballroom West at the ISME19 Symposium, in Cape Town. It is hosted by the ISME Early Career Scientist Committee.

This panel session is to give a voice to a diverse range of scientists including queer and transgender scientists, disabled scientists, neurodiverse scientists, first-generation scientists, scientists from low socio-economic backgrounds, and/or scientists of marginalized race or ethnicity, noting that people can have intersecting identities with compounding effects. 

Our goal is to discuss the challenges that these scientists face as a means to explore the ways that our community can prevent the disparities in career outcomes and opportunities that are too often associated with systematically marginalized scientists. We encourage attendance by all ISME19 attendees, but particularly those in senior leadership roles or who supervise students and staff. If you would like to ask an anonymous question to the panel, you can do so by providing your question(s) here. Attendees can also ask questions during the session. 

When: Thursday, 22 August, 13.30-14.30
Where: Ballroom West at the ISME19 Symposium, in Cape Town
Hosted by: ISME Early Career Scientist Committee.