June 2025

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June 2025 | Oceanography

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women generally underreport incidents of harassment (Graaff,

2021). It is important to note that while minoritized individuals

and heterosexual white women both reported high rates of both

personally experiencing and witnessing discrimination, 85% of

heterosexual white men reported that they had not witnessed

any bias, discrimination, or bullying over the same period. These

responses highlight a known phenomenon, whereby men are less

likely than women to recognize instances of bias and discrimi­

nation (Davis and Robinson, 1991; Major et al., 2002; Drury and

Kaiser, 2014; Liao et al., 2016) unless they have personally been

the target of such behavior (Cech, 2024). Results from the survey

indicate a continuing need for strategies to address systemic bias,

discrimination, and bullying in ocean sciences. To that end, we

now turn to the TOS JEDI town hall discussion and the resultant

conversations on successful models for increasing equity, strat­

egies to improve accessibility, and methods for creating a more

just and fair culture within the ocean sciences community.

Successful Models

During the open discussion period of

the town hall, one group of participants

focused on the question, “What are some

successful models of expanding partici­

pation of minoritized and/or historically

marginalized individuals in ocean and

coastal sciences?” Based on this discussion,

we have compiled a list of known affin­

ity groups supporting underrepresented

researchers in ocean sciences (Table 1). This

list has been expanded to include groups

not discussed within the town hall; how­

ever, this summary should not be consid­

ered comprehensive. Finding community

and building connections play crucial roles

in increasing participation and retention

(Canfield et al., 2023; Hansen et al., 2024).

This pursuit also improves the quality of

science produced, as more diverse teams

have been shown to produce higher-impact

science than demographically homoge­

neous teams (Freeman and Huang, 2014).

Here, we include a few examples of groups

at the forefront of attracting, supporting,

and retaining individuals in ocean sciences

to improve BAJEDI.

Organizations focused primarily on

attracting minoritized individuals to ocean

sciences include the Online Conversations

for Equity, Action, and Networking

(OCEAN) project, which amplifies voices

from marginalized groups within ocean

sciences (Johanif et al., 2023), and Black in

Marine Science (BIMS), which uplifts Black voices in marine sci­

ences. These groups offer critical programs to attract and engage

future scientists at the undergraduate level, or earlier. BIMS

YouTube series airs weekly, engaging both adults and children.

Some groups focus more on supporting minoritized students

during their academic careers by offering internships, profes­

sional development, and mentorship opportunities. Such pro­

grams include the Community College Comprehensive Research

Experience (CC-CREW) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institution, Minorities in Shark Science (MISS), National

Center for Atmospheric Research’s Significant Opportunities in

Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS), and Sea Grant’s

Community Engaged Internship (CEI). MISS ran its pilot pro­

gram “Diversifying Ocean Sciences Project” in 2023 with 100%

of participants rating it as a valuable experience and noting that

networking and feeling like they were part of a community were

the most important experiences. Directed at undergraduates,

Sea Grant’s CEI engages undergraduates and community college

students in place-based research with an emphasis on local and

Indigenous knowledge.

TABLE 1. Known affinity groups supporting underrepresented researchers in the ocean sci­

ences. This list was compiled from the town hall discussion and expanded to include other

groups not discussed within the town hall; however, this summary of groups should not be

considered comprehensive. A more extensive list of affinity groups is available in Table S1 in

the online supplementary materials.

AFFINITY GROUP

Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP)

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIIG)

Black in Geoscience

Black in Marine Science (BIMS)

Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Sciences (BWEEMS)

Community College Comprehensive Research Experience at WHOI (CC-CREW)

Community Engaged Internship (CEI)

Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN)

GeoLatinas

International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD)

Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women+ to Increase Retention (MPOWIR)

Minorities in Shark Science (MISS)

Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PhDs)

National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABGG)

Online Conservations for Equity, Action, and Networking (OCEAN)

Philippine-American Academy of Science & Engineering (PAASE)

Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS)

Society for American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

Society of Women in Marine Science (SWMS)

UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

Unlearning Racism in GEosciences (URGE)

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