AFS SNEC/NED DEI Discussion – this FRIDAY, December 16 at 11AM

Please join us for the next AFS SNEC/NED DEI Discussion – this FRIDAY, December 16 at 11AM

Topic:  How to host an inclusive conference

Discussion Facilitator: Patrick Shirey, AFS NED Past-President and Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh, Department of Geology and Environmental Science


Reading

Ten simple rules to host an inclusive conference
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010164

Discussion Questions
What was your biggest take-away from the readings?
How are our AFS annual meetings doing at accomplishing the ten simple rules? 

Are there ideas in here that AFS could take action on?

Reading for if you have time:

Inclusive Scientific Meetings – Where to Start

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This document arose from an Aspen Global Change Institute workshop about diverse, inclusive, and equitable scientific meetings, led by 500 Women Scientists and the Earth Science Women’s Network. The workshop was funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, and held at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Maryam Zaringhalam formatted the document. 

Workshops on Sunday January 8

To register, go to the Registration Page.

Workshop B: Closing the Gap for Women and Underrepresented Groups Within Fisheries
Date and Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Sunday, January 8, 2023

Half Day – Afternoon
Description: Please join us for a career development workshop focused on providing skills and tools to foster success for women and underrepresented groups within fisheries. This workshop will provide a safe space for participants and panelists to share experiences throughout different stages in their professional career. The first half of the workshop will include advice on pursuing employment opportunities, resume review, and interview advice. The second half of the workshop will focus on advice for career advancement, handling negative situations, developing a strong network, and job retention. The format will be a series of focused Q&A sessions to cover these topics, with a panel of professionals representing different career stages and employment types to share their experiences and advice.

Instructors: Aubrey Ellertson Church, Stacy Furgal, and Sara Turner (Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, NY Sea Grant, NOAA NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office)
Questions about this workshop? Contact Aubrey Ellertson Church at [email protected]

Workshop C: R for Fisheries Science
Date and Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday, January 8, 2023
Full Day
Description: This workshop will help to address a gap in computational resources for biologists. Computational skills are in high demand and enhance research across all disciplines at all career stages. This hands-on, live-coding workshop is specifically designed for individuals who have little or no coding experience, with dedicated time for troubleshooting any installation and/or set up challenges. Learners will be exposed to a broad range of R-based tools that can be applied to their own research, and best practices of scientific computing for facilitating reproducibility will be discussed. The first half of this workshop is a comprehensive introduction to best practices of flat file (spreadsheet) design, data formatting, and foundational programming with R/RStudio, while the second half covers practical applications of R, including importing and cleaning data, customizing summary tables, generating effective visualizations, and automated reporting.

Instructors: Danielle Quinn
Questions about this workshop? Contact Danielle Quinn at [email protected]

Workshop D: Small Fishways
Date and Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday, January 8, 2023

Full Day
Description: Goals for the workshop are to provide an overview and history of design and evaluation of small (less than 5 meters in height) fishways in eastern North America, and current techniques for biological and hydraulic evaluation of various fishway designs, including Denil, Alaska Steeppass, pool and weir, and nature-like fishways. Background presentations will be given by biologists and engineers currently working in the field of fish passage technology and application. The workshop will also feature brief case studies of fishway successes and failures from workshop attendees, compilation of fishway performance data, and a Round Table discussion of small fishway performance and application. The target participants are federal, state and local agencies, as well as NGO and watershed organization staff interested in development and evaluation of small fishways, nature-like fishways, and dam removals.

Instructors: Alex Haro (USGS Conte Lab) and Ben Gahagan (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries)
Questions about this workshop? Contact Alex Haro at [email protected]

For more information or questions, please contact the workshop instructor(s), or the Meeting Workshop Chairs:

Alex Haro: [email protected]

AFS SNEC DEI Discussion Friday Nov 18 at 2PM

Please join us for the next AFS/NED SNEC DEI Discussion – this FRIDAY, November 18 at 2PM

For the link please check your emails from the SNEC listserv, or email [email protected]

Topic:  Affirmative Action

Discussion Facilitator: Patrick Shirey, AFS NED Past-President and Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh, Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Readings:
Scientific American Opinion, By Stacy FarinaK Amacker on October 31, 2022: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-scientists-must-stand-for-affirmative-action-and-against-scientific-racism/

NPR’s 11 minutes coverage of what diversity initiatives could look like in higher education if the Supreme Court rules that race cannot be considered in college admissions: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/03/1134118873/diversity-after-affirmative-action 

NPR’s 5 minutes of coverage from the case in front of the Supreme Court: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/31/1132954999/the-supreme-court-hears-affirmative-action-case

Affirmative Action Policies throughout History: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/History_of_Affirmative_Action.asp

The Origins of the Term ‘Affirmative Action’ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/learn-origins-term-affirmative-action-180959531/

Discussion Questions
-What was your biggest take-away from the readings?
-Did any of these readings cause you to reconsider your opinions about Affirmative Action programs?
-Is there a role for American Fisheries Society in this issue?