Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Working Group
Overview
The US-RSE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) working group helps strengthen inclusion, belonging, and equitable participation throughout the US-RSE community. Diverse perspectives help strengthen research software, research teams, and research outcomes. Our work is guided by the US-RSE DEI Mission Statement.
Join Us
Everyone is welcome. No prior DEI experience is required.
We meet monthly on Zoom, on the second Wednesday of each month at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET.
#wg-diversity-equity-inclusion for working group activities
#dei-discussion for general DEI discussion
Co-Chairs
Lance Parsons (he/him)
Alex Koufos (he/him)
What We Do
Assessing Community Inclusion
Gather and share insights to inform positive change within US-RSE.
Advancing Learning and Awareness
Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through education,
dialogue, and resource sharing.
Understanding Member Experiences
Identify barriers, opportunities, and challenges across the RSE community.
Celebrating and Amplifying Diversity
Recognize experiences, perspectives, and contributions that strengthen
the community.
Current Focus
- Community Inclusion Assessment — our new pilot to understand member experiences and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Diversity observances and awareness — recognizing and amplifying diverse voices within our community.
- Community conversations and engagement — creating opportunities for learning, discussion, and connection.
- Outreach and engagement across US-RSE.
Assessing Community Inclusion
The US-RSE DEI working group seeks to identify the barriers, opportunities, and challenges that members encounter in their RSE roles, and to gather and share insights that inform positive change within US-RSE.
As a new effort, we are piloting a Community Inclusion Assessment to better understand member experiences and identify opportunities for improvement.
We want to hear from members. Please share your experiences and suggestions through the DEI Suggestions Form, in the #dei-discussion channel on the US-RSE slack, or by messaging the co-chairs directly on Slack.
Advancing Learning and Awareness
The US-RSE DEI working group promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within US-RSE and the broader RSE community through education, dialogue, and resource sharing.
DEI Mission Statement
The US-RSE DEI working group’s first large initiative was to create a US-RSE DEI Mission Statement to integrate into the US-RSE core values. This DEI Mission Statement was published in August 2021 on the DEI Mission Statement page. We expect this mission statement to evolve and mature as the US-RSE community grows and welcome feedback.
DEI Speaker Series
The US-RSE DEI working group occasionally invites DEI speakers to present on DEI topics. Talks from all the speakers to date are available in the DEI Speaker Series playlist on the US-RSE YouTube channel.
Suggestions regarding potential speakers are welcome, by reaching out to the working group in Slack or through the DEI Suggestions Form.
DEI Media Club
The US-RSE DEI working group hosts occasional DEI Media Club discussions in which we invite participants to read, listen to, or watch the chosen DEI media and come ready to discuss the content as a small group. Past selections include the book Better Allies by Karen Catlin, series 4, episode 6 of reWorked - The Diversity and Inclusion Podcast, and Code Switch - The Folk Devil Made Me Do It.
These are announced via the #events and #dei-discussion channels on the US-RSE slack, as well as in monthly newsletters, and are hosted virtually via Zoom.
Resources for DEI in RSE
As part of its efforts, the US-RSE DEI working group is developing a curated collection of RSE-specific DEI resources for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion specifically within the research software engineering community. Please feel free to suggest additional media and other resources through the DEI Suggestions Form.
Celebrating and Amplifying Diversity
The US-RSE DEI working group leads US-RSE’s celebration of diversity throughout the year through observances such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Pride Month, including spotlight posts that recognize inspiring individuals in computing, science, engineering, and math: