Today, I got the opportunity to attend a session on "Incorporating Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) into your project(s)" by Dr. Georgette Zinaty, within the framework of a Government of Canada sponsored training program.
Here's some of my key learnings/reflections from the session:
1. Diversity is counting the numbers. Inclusion is making the numbers count.
2. Restore what must be restored, repair what must be repaired & return what must be returned.
3. Science will look increasingly anachronistic if women and minorities are not participants in the enterprise. As other professions move successfully toward a goal of inclusiveness, science will appear increasingly backward-looking, and will be less attractive to talented students of all types.
4. 7 pillars of Inclusion: Access, Attitudes, Choice, Partnerships, Communication, Policy & Opportunities
In context to my project at the University of Victoria, I shall endeavour to streamline Research & Development across 7 primary verticals:
1. Education & Research
2. Technological Research
3. Societal Innovation & Impact Science
4. Scientific Oppression
5. Biological Reductionism: Partnering with Mental Health & Brain Health institutions through Unwired India and The Brainbow Alliance: BIPOC in STEM & Arts to integrate Brain & Behaviour studies to reduce the prevalent bias in clinical/biopsychology studies that often trivializes behaviour to a physical and physiological level and explains it in terms of hormones, neural networks, brain structure and neurotransmitters.
6. Inclusion in Science Communication Research & Practice
7. Streamlining Search Procedure & Inclusion Criteria
This necessitates the widening of access in terms of Diversity, Multilingualism, Multiculturalism, Sustainability & Dissemination through a dynamic group of stakeholders including academic- and industry based leaders, not-for-profit institutional representatives, patients, patient advocates, and government representatives.
If our historic definition of scientific progress allows for "progress at any expense". There's news for us: Discrimination and Exclusion does not benefit science, but it does inhibit progress.
A huge thanks to everyone for making this session possible!
