Racial issues have been very much in the news during 2020, leading many organizations to take a critical look at themselves and ask how they can do a better job of fostering diversity, inclusion, and respect. Chemists are no exception to this movement, which is why ACS Publications recently hosted the webinar on race and […]

Racial issues have been very much in the news during 2020, leading many organizations to take a critical look at themselves and ask how they can do a better job of fostering diversity, inclusion, and respect. Chemists are no exception to this movement, which is why ACS Publications recently hosted the webinar on race and diversity in the lab, as part of their ongoing Changing the Culture of Chemistry series.

This one-hour program featured a panel of prominent chemists, including:

  • Professor Edgar A. Arriaga, of the University of Minnesota, who discussed how labs can take the approach of “inclusive excellence” when hiring and developing researchers, as well as considering the lab environment through the lens of diversity, inclusion, and equity.
  • Professor Steven D. Townsend, of Vanderbilt University, who talked about how chemists can improve their diversity intelligence, check for blind spots, and take unconscious biases into account.
  • Professor Ann C. Kimble-Hill, of Indiana University School of Medicine, who spoke about incorporating identity safety into a lab’s safety culture, so that all researchers can feel secure and valued in their work.

Dr. Carlos Toro of ACS Publications acted as the program’s moderator, fielding questions from attendees at the end of the event.

Watch the full presentation of Changing the Culture of Chemistry: Race and Diversity in the Lab

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