Polar early career researchers attending the 2024 Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference were welcomed to join a parallel session discussing the strengthening of equitable science communities.
The Antarctic sciences offer ample opportunities for doing international, transdisciplinary and collaborative research to seek answers to some of the biggest questions and challenges of our time within the region. At the same time, research has demonstrated that great science benefits from a diversity of thought, of people, and organizations with varied strengths. As such, collaborating globally with individuals of varied disciplines, specialities, lived experiences, and backgrounds is key to effectively investigating the greatest questions in our fields that would have a global impact. In order to do this well, the global Antarctic research community needs to continue to improve awareness of outstanding inequalities and identify effective ways to move toward building more welcoming, inclusive and equitable Antarctic research communities. To achieve this, it is critical that every Antarctic, and more broadly polar, research-related institution works to build welcoming Antarctic communities and working environments, in which barriers to participation are removed and all contributors are able to thrive in a safe environment.
Abstracts were welcomed from those whose research or applied experiences have been working towards these goals of building a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive Antarctic research community. We encouraged authors to highlight potential pathways and solutions, perspectives on issues, best practices and lessons learned from doing critical work in this space to build science environments in which diversity of thought and background is welcomed to work towards solutions to the challenges of our time. We especially welcomed contributions from parts of the global Antarctic research community not otherwise represented in previous conversations.
This parallel session was convened by PSECCO's Director Mariama Dryak-Vallies, Dr Inga Beck, Dr Adriana Maria Gulisano, Dr Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Rose Leeger, and Steve Diggs.
A list of all parallel sessions at the SCAR 2024 Open Science Conference can be found here.
Thank you to those who joined us, it was great to see everyone!