Throughout 2023, I have worked with the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment Wellness, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (WEDIA) at the University of Calgary working group to bring several initiatives to the department. After experiencing my period unexpectedly in the field and scavenging the first aid kit for something to save my pants, I realized something needed to change if we wanted women to feel welcome in this field. I brought this challenge that I faced to the group, which kick started the development of hygiene kits that are companions to first aid kits and are now carried during all field schools. While this certainly doesn’t solve everything, it is a step towards gender equity in the geosciences.
One of the aspects that we discuss and tackle in this committee is the historical under representation of minorities within the geosciences. In examining this, one area that really demonstrated this lack of representation and diversity was the department speaker series. I ran some demographic statistics on all available data for GOLD, FATS, and Gallagher (now EarthX). In these series the speakers were female 20-47% of the time, and visible racial minorities 5-21% of the time over the series according to available data. I compiled these numbers, presented them to the working group, and as a result we created a list of diverse individuals that we thought would be excellent speakers for the EarthX series. This work was presented at the Department Council meeting to encourage a strategy for further diversification of speakers.
Another initiative that I brought to the table that was championed by faculty and staff was the creation of rooming/berthing forms for field schools. I presented the recommendations set out in the Navigating Gender at Sea paper by McMonigal et al. (2023) on gender and fieldwork to the committee. I highlighted recommendations that were most relevant to our department and could easily be attained. The rooming survey was one of the outcomes of this work.
Finally, prior to teaching a field school in the fall 2023 I created a resource for students on how to pack for the field as many students don’t have extensive outdoor experience and I have been lucky enough to have made mistakes and learned from them. This guide included information on how to plan daily clothes, extra tips on how to menstruate in the field, and how to make field school an enjoyable experience for all.
Fostering Positive Field Experiences Event
In May 2024, myself alongside the WEDIA committee in Earth, Energy, and Environment at the University of Calgary ran two workshops about creating positive experiences while doing field work. These workshops aim to bring together students, faculty, and staff that have a wide range in field experience to discuss what cultivates a positive experience. Further, we aim to get people reflecting and thinking a little deeper by presenting uncomfortable but not uncommon situations that anyone could encounter in the field. These collaborative workshops encourage people to think about all the aspects - emotional, mental, and physical - that influence preparedness for the field.
Event Blurb:
When does the best science get done? When everyone feels safe, welcome, and prepared for the task at hand. In this event, we will explore how being prepared can make or break a field experience. Fostering positive field experiences is intended to help those with little field experience be more comfortable, while also encouraging experienced field researchers to question their biases when guiding or leading field experiences. This collaborative workshop offers a space to learn from each other and create more positive field experiences for everyone. Whether you lead field experiences or are heading out to do field research for the first time, there is always something to learn. Topics will include pre-trip field preparedness, helpful things to have in your backpack, and tips and tricks from experienced researchers. Light snacks and coffee will be provided thanks to the Office of Sustainability and Good Earth.
Feedback:
"It was extremely informative and presented is a very organized manner. The information, guest speaker, scenarios and audience comments were hugely helpful. Sensitive issues that needed to be discussed were addressed in a comfortable and respectful manner. Well done." - Participant
"Really approachable and engaging. Well designed exercises and discussions. Modelling inclusive behaviour (ex. Wing describing what is in the hygiene kits)." - Participant
"The meat-and-potatoes of this workshop [is] the niche that desperately needs to be filled in our department, is having discussions about challenges that historically-underrepresented groups may face in the field." - Participant
