You're Invited to the Inclusive Astronomy Conference in Nashville
A very important conference, Inclusive Astronomy 2015, convenes 17-19 June 2015 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. This meeting could be every bit as transformative for our discipline as the 1992 Baltimore meeting on women in astronomy. It's going to connect issues of diversity and inclusion in our field in a way that has never been done. Rather than stovepipe issues facing women, people of color, LGBTIQ scientists, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups as in the past, this meeting will examine how these issues are linked. A key goal of the conference is to come up with recommendations and actions to make the astronomical community more diverse, more inclusive, and therefore more productive.
Inclusive Astronomy 2015 is organized around four broad areas: barriers to access; creating inclusive climates; inclusion and access to leadership, power, and decision making; and establishing a community of inclusive practice. Each of these areas will address the inclusion of the communities mentioned above by creating opportunities for understanding, along with strategies and tools for institutional and interpersonal improvement. The meeting will include a diverse set of speakers, including sociologists and other subject-matter experts. The program is designed to engage participants at all levels, from students and early-career scientists to established practitioners and policymakers, with the ultimate goal of establishing meaningful conversations within and between career phases.
A key aim of this conference is to disseminate research on diversity, equity, and inclusion to the astronomy and astrophysics community. Attendees will share and be provided with tools and strategies to take back to their home institutions. Another important outcome of this conference will be a compilation of recommendations that will be prepared with community feedback and participation. I hope to see you in Nashville!