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)