DMMM4: Combating Biases in STEM
Sponsored by: TMS: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Program Organizers: Aeriel Murphy-Leonard, Ohio State University; Mark Carroll, Honeywell Aerospace; Blythe Clark, Sandia National Laboratories; Kevin Cunningham, ATI Specialty Alloys & Components; Lauren Garrison, Commonwealth Fusion Systems; Atieh Moridi, Cornell University; Ashleigh Wright, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Megan Cordill, Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science; Jonathan Madison, National Science Foundation; Mitra Taheri, Johns Hopkins University; Clarissa Yablinsky, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Thursday 8:30 AM
March 3, 2022
Room: Marquis Ballroom Northeast
Location: Anaheim Marriott
Session Chair: Lauren Garrison, Oak Ridge National Lab; Jonathan Madison, Sandia National Laboratories
8:30 AM
Mitigating Implicit Bias as Individuals and Institutions: Blythe Clark1; Olivia Underwood Jackson1; 1Sandia National Laboratories
Bias. It’s a word that makes most of us squirm. Bias implies to us that we are “bad people” and are being accused of deliberately discriminating against others. Yet, if you ask a social scientist, you will find that it doesn’t mean that at all; implicit bias is a neurologically based, energy-saving short cut. We form our implicit biases subconsciously over time, influenced by our upbringing, societal norms, and life experiences. While bias is benign in some examples, when relied on for decisions regarding people, implicit bias can inadvertently cause us to exclude others, tune out their ideas, or under- or overestimate their abilities. In this talk, we will discuss how to actively address, or mitigate, our biases---both individually and institutionally---so that we can truly realize our value system of meritocracy in science and engineering.
9:10 AM Learn By Playing: The Buffalo Card Game: Unconscious bias can have negative effects, but the first stage of changing it is recognizing your own opinions and biases. Join us for playing Buffalo, a card game designed by Tiltfactor to subtly challenge your own stereotypes and unconscious bias through play. The card game will be played in small groups with a facilitator. No prior experience or knowledge about card games or unconscious bias is necessary to participate. We will discuss the science behind the game design, participant reactions to the game, and how you could facilitate playing the game at your own institution or event.
Facilitator: Jonathan Madison
10:00 AM Break
10:20 AM
Leveraging a Strengths-based Approach to Diversity and Inclusion: Kathryn Thomas1; 1Idaho State University
We are all unique! How can you identify, invest in, and leverage the talents of your team members to create a sense of belonging where each individual is celebrated for their unique abilities? We are often able to see talent in everyday behaviors through yearning, satisfaction, rapid learning, and glimpses of excellence in our everyday interactions. The Gallup CliftonStrengths® assessment identifies individuals’ natural talents, and provides a common language to celebrate differences within a team. In this session, we will explore the idea of approaching inclusion through integration of a strengths-based philosophy, and discuss how identifying and investing in the talents of our team members can increase productivity, teamwork, belonging, and engagement.
11:05 AM Unconscious Bias Scenario Discussions: How does unconscious bias impact your experiences at work? Participate in small group discussions of scenarios relevant to the minerals, metals, and materials professions. If you have attended the other sessions in this track, this will be a chance to put what you have learned into practice and share your own experiences. If this is your first introduction to the topic, it is a great way to help you start to recognize unconscious bias around you and how you can take actions to mitigate it.
Facilitator: Victoria Miller