Inclusion, Diversity & Equity
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.”
What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.
— Māori whakataukī
At the Southern eDNA Society (seDNA), we are committed to the values of inclusion, diversity, and equity. We operate on the principle that knowledge advancement is greatly enhanced when we work collectively to achieve solutions through different perspectives. Quite simply, diverse teams perform better [1, 2, 3].
Our Approach
seDNA aims to provide an inclusive, safe environment where everyone can connect, engage with, and perform science. We welcome diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to: gender, career stage, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, race, ethnicity, ability, language, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, religion, and physical appearance.
We acknowledge that maintaining an inclusive environment is an ongoing endeavour that demands consistent commitment, particularly in the molecular biological sciences. We aspire to make conscious progress on this journey, remaining attentive and proactive. Only by constantly striving for improvement can we achieve the best eDNA outcomes and solutions that work for all.
Indigenous Knowledge & First Peoples
We acknowledge the vital importance of Indigenous knowledge, frameworks, and holders as First Peoples. We recognize that historically, these knowledge systems and Indigenous cultures have been devalued, displaced, diminished, or erased through the process of colonization. We are dedicated to correcting this imbalance in our field.
Our Commitments
To uphold these values, the Society and its members commit to the following:
-
Fostering Inclusion: We will cultivate an environment with diverse representation where all people are welcome.
-
Addressing Barriers: We recognize that traditional career pathways in science can be exclusionary to underrepresented peoples (the “leaky pipeline”). While we work towards long-term solutions, we remain aware of these current challenges.
-
Meaningful Engagement: We expect our members to meaningfully engage with the communities they work with, particularly if those communities are Indigenous to the land or historically underrepresented [4].
-
Event Diversity: We will foster diversity at our events by aspiring to have equal representation of gender and career stages, as well as people of colour, among keynote speakers and session chairs.
-
Respecting Sovereignty: We expect our members to engage with Indigenous knowledge and peoples in all applications of eDNA, respecting their sovereignty over their lands and data.
-
Active Participation: We will proactively implement practices to include Traditional Owners and kaitiaki (guardians) in Society activities—for example, through travel awards to attend and present at our annual conference.
References
-
Sommers S. R. (2006). On racial diversity and group decision making: identifying multiple effects of racial composition on jury deliberations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(4), 597–612.
-
McKinsey & Company. (2020). Why diversity matters.
-
Díaz-García C., et al. (2013). Gender diversity within R&D teams: Its impact on radicalness of innovation. Innovation.
-
Adame, F. (2021). Meaningful collaborations can end ‘helicopter research’. Nature Career Column.