Recent updates about activities and accomplishments of SNEC members
Learn about the 2022 AFS Annual Meeting Travel Award Recipients, Center for Coastal Studies Researching Shellfish Abundance in East Harbor on Cape Cod, CT DEEP Fall Salmon Stocking with High School Students, four more updates on activities of SNEC members, and announcements of 7 new publications by SNEC members!
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
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.
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 Farina, K 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?
AFS SNEC needs YOU to send us links about your recent accomplishments for the Fall 2022 newsletter.
The Chapter newsletter exists to spread the word about the interesting and impactful work that members are engaged in every day.
It’s easy! Just send us links to work that you’ve already done! There’s no need to write a whole article!
Submit your news and links via this Google webform.
https://forms.gle/9dny25282o2hRWAW9
Examples of Things you can submit:
Did you recently publish a paper?
Did you give a virtual talk for a community event that was recorded?
Did your agency or organization feature your work on their website or in their newsletter?
Were you interviewed for a podcast series?
Have you done anything in the realm of communications & outreach that you’d like to share?
SEND US THE LINKS
Emails to Newsletter Editor George Maynard are also welcome. [email protected]
Submit your links for the Fall 2022 edition of the newsletter by Friday November 4.
Back Issues of the AFS SNEC Newsletter
Please join us for the next AFS/NED SNEC DEI Discussion – Thursday, October 20 at 2PM
Topic: Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
Discussion Facilitator: Abigail Archer, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension & Woods Hole Sea Grant
Check the AFS SNEC or NED listserv emails for the Zoom link, or email [email protected]
Readings:
A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, Native Governance Center
https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/
Boston City Council Offers Land Acknowledgement
https://www.boston.gov/news/city-council-offers-land-acknowledgement
The Upstander Project
https://upstanderproject.org/about/land-acknowledgement
Rethinking Land Acknowledgements December 20, 2021 Anthropology News https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/rethinking-land-acknowledgments/#:~:text=Even%20more%20troubling%2C%20land%20acknowledgments,for%20Indigenous%20peoples%20and%20nations.
Discussion Questions
What are your experiences with Land Acknowledgements? For example, have you attended meetings where an Acknowledgement is given? Have you ever worked on crafting one for your school or organization? Do you give an Acknowledgement before you give presentations?
Did any of these readings cause you to change or reconsider your opinions about Land Acknowledgements?
What kind of statement do you think SNEC and NED should make at the beginning of the upcoming January 8-10 meeting? What actions could SNEC & NED take to forge connections with the State and Federally recognized Tribes in the Boston area?
Hot off the press…..or….R code! Read all about what your colleagues have been up to during Summer 2022 in the SNEC Newsletter!
SNEC President’s Message
Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am humbled and privileged to assume the role of President of SNEC. I am grateful to my predecessor, Christopher McDowell for his leadership and contributions to SNEC during his presidency, and the members of the Executive Committee and Board. I have been inspired by their commitment to SNEC and all of their achievements and I look forward to continuing the chapter’s work by encouraging the exchange of information by members of the Society.
I recognize that times have been challenging on us all, as we continue to navigate a world surrounded by COVID and subvariants, and for some, adjusting to a return to office work policy. I hope you and your families continue to stay safe, well and healthy! This June provided a sense of relief and normalcy for our chapter, with our first SNEC in person summer meeting in over 2 years! This meeting had excellent presentations that highlighted current research being done throughout the region, and provided an opportunity to network and connect in person with each other. Thank you to those in attendance!
For many of us, spring and summer is an exciting time. It is the start of field season, and a chance for us to leave our homes and offices for more exciting work on the water or in the field! This spring, for me, involved leading a gillnet offshore wind fisheries monitoring survey south of Rhode Island. Working with commercial fishermen, we set large-mesh gillnets from April-June to capture monkfish and winter skate. This sampling is conducted to assess the seasonal abundance, and distribution of monkfish and winter skate for two years prior to construction and installation of offshore wind turbines. Living on Cape Cod is always a busy time especially during the summer! For most, summers on Cape Cod mean lots of beach days and sunshine, family vacations, boat rides, ferries to the Vineyard, looking for great white sharks, lobster rolls, and a whole heck of traffic! But for me, it means spending time with friends and family, kayak fishing for scup, seabass and striped bass, supporting local businesses, eating ice cream, and filling my belly with seasonal and local seafood! I hope you each have a wonderful and safe summer, and I encourage you to stop and enjoy the diversity of local seafood that is available this time of year.
In closing, I hope as President I will continue to support and encourage participation from fishery stakeholders at our meetings, and give them a space to share their wisdom and background on various fisheries related issues, so that as scientists we can work together towards more sustainable and effective solutions. In addition, I hope to continue DEI efforts currently underway by the chapter and national society to create a more inclusive community for our membership. Feel free to reach out to me, the Executive Committee, or Board of Directors if you have ideas or would like to get involved.
Aubrey Ellertson President, Southern New England Chapter of AFS
Please join us for the next AFS/NED SNEC DEI Discussion – Thursday, September 15 at 2PM
For the link please check your emails from the SNEC listserv, or email [email protected]
Topic: Allyship in fisheries science workspaces
Discussion Facilitator: Harvey Walsh, SNEC Board of Directors Member, and Lead for the Ecosystem Monitoring Program in the Oceans and Climate Branch of NOAA, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
What is the difference between allyship and mentorship?
In the context of the workplace, allyship refers to support and advocacy for colleagues from underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ+, women, the differently-abled and people of color. Mentorship often focuses on strengthening workplace relationships centered on career progression, and allyship can function similarly.
Please watch and read the resources below:
3 Myths About Allyship—and What Research Says Instead
3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace
Ally-Up! Practice Effective Allyship https://snec.fisheries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Ally-up-Practice-Effective-Allyship.pdf
Discussion Questions
– Did you find these resources helpful?
– Have you received training in allyship through your employer/ University?
– If you’re comfortable sharing with the group, have you acted as an ally to a colleague? Has a colleague acted as an ally to you? What was the setting? What worked and what did not work?
Please join us for the next AFS/NED SNEC DEI Discussion – Thursday, August 11 at 2PM
For the Zoom link please check your emails from the SNEC listserv, or email [email protected]
Topic: Bystander Training in Fisheries Science: Promoting Respect and Equality in the Workplace
Discussion Facilitator: Aubrey Ellertson, SNEC President, and Research Biologist, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
Please watch and read the resources below:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102172
Abstract
Little is known about the climate of the scientific fieldwork setting as it relates to gendered experiences, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. We conducted an internet-based survey of field scientists (N = 666) to characterize these experiences. Codes of conduct and sexual harassment policies were not regularly encountered by respondents, while harassment and assault were commonly experienced by respondents during trainee career stages. Women trainees were the primary targets; their perpetrators were predominantly senior to them professionally within the research team. Male trainees were more often targeted by their peers at the research site. Few respondents were aware of mechanisms to report incidents; most who did report were unsatisfied with the outcome. These findings suggest that policies emphasizing safety, inclusivity, and collegiality have the potential to improve field experiences of a diversity of researchers, especially during early career stages. These include better awareness of mechanisms for direct and oblique reporting of harassment and assault and, the implementation of productive response mechanisms when such behaviors are reported. Principal investigators are particularly well positioned to influence workplace culture at their field sites.
Additional Resources:
https://fieldworkfuture.ucsc.edu/resources.html#content1-19
Discussion Questions:
-If you’re comfortable sharing with the group, what is one thing you learned from these resources?
-What are some examples of bystander or conflict resolution trainings you have been a part of either through employment or other work?
-What can we learn from the above and apply to our own professional spaces to give individuals access to a fisheries profession-relevant bystander training that applies more closely to their work or field work?
-Are there scenarios that you think are important to be discussed and included in a training?
-What are ways that SNEC/AFS help develop a bystander training that will be applicable and relevant in today’s society?
