Black In Marine Science

IMPLEMENTATION: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BIMS TIDAL WAVE PROGRAM -SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH, AND THE CREATION OF COLLABORATIVE GROUPS; HOWEVER THE LACK OF DIVERSITY AT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS SERVES AS A MAJOR CRUX TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF OCEAN SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION. SYSTEMATIC BARRIERS INCREASE THE DIFFICULTY FOR RESEARCHERS OF COLOR TO ATTEND AND SUCCESSFULLY MANEUVER THESE CONFERENCES. OFTEN, THOSE RESEARCHERS WHO DO ATTEND ARE ONE OF A HANDFUL AND THEIR EXPERIENCES CAN BE RIDDLED WITH ISOLATION, MAKING IT HARD TO TRULY ENGAGE IN MEETING SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES. TO INCREASE DIVERSITY AND ENGAGEMENT OF SCIENTISTS OF COLOR AT OCEAN SCIENCE CONFERENCES AND REDUCE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES STEMMING FROM SECLUSION, THE NON-PROFIT BLACK IN MARINE SCIENCE (BIMS) INTRODUCES THE BIMS TIDAL WAVE. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO 1) PROVIDE A COHORT OF SCIENTISTS THE NETWORKING AND TECHNICAL SKILLS NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY PRESENT AT A CONFERENCE, 2) INCORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS OF RESEARCHERS OF COLOR IN OCEAN SCIENCE CONFERENCES INCLUDING A CONFERENCE HOSTED BY THE BIMS INSTITUTE AND 3) INCREASE COHESION AMONG ALLIES AND BLACK PROFESSIONALS WHO FOCUS ON OCEAN CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH. EACH YEAR, A COHORT OF BLACK MARINE SCIENTISTS AT VARIED EDUCATIONAL LEVELS (UNDERGRAD TO GRADUATE) AND PROFESSIONS (ACADEMIC, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR) WILL BE SELECTED TO ATTEND ONE OCEAN SCIENCE CONFERENCE. PRIOR TO EACH CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS WILL PARTAKE IN A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON PRESENTING RESEARCH, NETWORKING, AND SUCCESSFUL MENTOR-MENTEE INTERACTIONS. AFTER EACH CONFERENCE, COHORTS WILL RECEIVE POST-CONFERENCE TRAINING THAT WILL ASSIST PARTICIPANTS IN PUBLISHING THEIR RESEARCH AND FORMING COLLABORATIVE BONDS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING THE DIVERSITY AND EXPERIENCE OF BLACK MARINE SCIENTISTS AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES, THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BLACK IN MARINE SCIENCE INTRODUCES THE BIMS TIDAL WAVE. THIS PROGRAM AIMS TO EXPAND THE DIVERSITY OF MARINE SCIENCE CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION AND SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP IN A STEPWISE FASHION, SUPPORTING 40 STUDENTS, AND BOTH EARLY & LATE CAREER PROFESSIONALS IN PRESENTING RESEARCH AT TWO MARINE SCIENCE MEETINGS EACH YEAR. MOVING PAST THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ISOLATED AND EXCLUDED AT CONFERENCES, THE GOAL IS THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE TIDAL WAVE PROGRAM FEEL A BOOST IN CONFIDENCE AND IN A SENSE OF BELONGING BY HAVING NEW SKILLS, RESOURCES, AND COHORT SUPPORT. THESE FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES WILL ALTER THE EXPERIENCE OF BOTH BLACK SCIENTISTS AND OTHER ATTENDEES AT THE CONFERENCE. PRIOR TO THE MEETINGS, THE PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE HANDS-ON NETWORKING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS INCLUDING THE RESOURCES, SUPPORT, AND SKILLS NEEDED TO NAVIGATE A CONFERENCE SUCCESSFULLY. THESE WORKSHOPS WILL STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS AND MUTUAL SUPPORT AMONG PARTICIPANTS, THEREBY INCREASING THE SENSE OF COMFORT AND EASE OF ATTENDING. PERTINENT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT AN ARRAY OF SUB-DISCIPLINES WITHIN OCEAN POLICY AND RESEARCH, ENSURING THAT BLACK PEOPLES? RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS ARE HEARD AND HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. AT THE CONFERENCES, WE WILL FACILITATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPANTS TO NETWORK WITH ONE ANOTHER, AS WELL AS WITH MEMBERS AND LEADERSHIP OF THE HOST SOCIETY. IN THE FINAL YEAR OF THE GRANT, THE BIMS INSTITUTE WILL HOST A CULMINATING CONFERENCE, EXCLUSIVE TO BLACK MARINE SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS AND ALLIES. THE BIMS TIDAL WAVE WILL ULTIMATELY CHANGE THE FACE OF SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES AND ENRICH THE EXPERIENCES OF BLACK MARINE SCIENTISTS WHO ATTEND THESE CONFERENCES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BUILDING RACIAL EQUITY IN MARINE SCIENCE -OCEAN SCIENCE IS ONE OF THE LEAST DIVERSE SCIENCES IN THE UNITED STATES. YET THE COMPLEX AND PRESSING ISSUES FACING THE OCEAN AND THE NEEDS OF OCEAN-DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES REQUIRE AN OCEAN-LITERATE SOCIETY WITH DIVERSE EXPERTISE, RACIAL IDENTITIES, AND EXPERIENCES. THIS PROJECT COMBINES THE STRENGTHS OF TWO ENTITIES, HAMPTON UNIVERSITY AND BLACK IN MARINE SCIENCE, TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF BLACK PEOPLE IN MARINE SCIENCE RELATED FIELDS AND CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND JUSTICE-CENTERED PROGRAMMING. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO BOOST OCEAN LITERACY AND RESEARCH WITHIN BLACK AND OTHER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND EQUIP PEOPLE WITH TOOLS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS IN THEIR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT. THE PROJECT WILL (1) ATTRACT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF COLOR INTO MARINE SCIENCE RELATED FIELDS, (2) ENGAGE UNDERGRADUATES THROUGH A CULTURALLY RELEVANT CURRICULUM, (3) SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND BUILD THEIR IDENTITY AS SCIENTISTS, (4) PREPARE UNDERGRADUATES FOR MARINE SCIENCE-RELATED AND STEM CAREERS, AND (5) INTRODUCE BOTH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND UNDERGRADUATES TO RESEARCH. ALL ACTIVITIES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED USING EQUITABLE STEM TEACHING TOOLS (CULTURAL PEDAGOGIES, MULTI-GENERATIONAL LEARNING, SUPPORTING DIVERSE SENSE-MAKING, CENTERING RACIAL JUSTICE, MEANINGFUL PHENOMENA, AND PLACE-BASED LEARNING). THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ANSWER THE OVERARCHING RESEARCH QUESTION: HOW DOES PARTICIPATION IN THE DESIGNED PROJECT ACTIVITIES IMPROVE OUTCOMES AND INCREASE RACIAL EQUITY FOR BLACK PEOPLE? THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL COLLECT DATA ON THE EXPERIENCES AND IMPACTS ON PARTICIPANTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT AFFECT THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF AND SENSE OF BELONGING IN MARINE SCIENCES. THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT WILL UTILIZE A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND EQUITY-FOCUSED APPROACH, MIXED-METHODS (QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE) DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES, AND APPLY AN EDUCATIVE AND VALUES-ENGAGED LENS. THESE METHODS WILL PROVIDE RICHER DATA, ALLOW FOR BETTER DATA TRIANGULATION, HIGHER MULTICULTURAL VALIDITY, AND PRODUCE MORE NUANCED EVALUATION RESULTS. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS WITH KEY FINDINGS FROM THE EVALUATIONS, CONFERENCE, AND COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS TO HIGHLIGHT THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES OF THE PROGRAMMING, CURRICULUM ACCESSIBLE TO TEACHERS AND LASTLY, DATA ON ATTRACTION, RETENTION, AND SENSE OF BELONGING OF PARTICIPANTS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE RACIAL EQUITY IN STEM EDUCATION ACTIVITY (EDU RACIAL EQUITY). THE ACTIVITY SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE RACIAL EQUITY IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. AWARDED PROJECTS CENTER THE VOICES, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCES OF THE INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITIES, AND INSTITUTIONS MOST IMPACTED BY THE INEQUITIES CAUSED BY SYSTEMIC RACISM IN STEM FIELDS. THIS ACTIVITY ALIGNS WITH NSF?S CORE VALUE OF SUPPORTING OUTSTANDING RESEARCHERS AND INNOVATIVE THINKERS FROM ACROSS THE NATION?S DIVERSITY OF DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, REGIONS, AND TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

PLANNING: BRINGING THE OCEAN TO THE STREETS: STRATEGIC APPROACHES FOR ENGAGING MINORITIZED COMMUNITIES IN GEOSCIENCES -BRINGING THE OCEAN TO THE STREETS IS A STRATEGIC APPROACH FOR ENGAGING COMMUNITIES. IT AIMS TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN MARINE SCIENCES THROUGH IMMERSIVE AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THROUGH TWO KEY EVENTS: THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL AND BLACK IN MARINE SCIENCE (BIMS) WEEK. AT THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL, THE ?BIMS OCEAN TO ESSENCE? EXHIBIT SHOWCASES MARINE SCIENCE THROUGH INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS AND ACTIVITIES WITH FOCUS ON INSPIRING INTEREST AND PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN THE GEOSCIENCES. BIMS WEEK, A PROFESSIONAL WELLNESS RETREAT SUPPORTS AND DEVELOPS A DIVERSE BODY OF MARINE SCIENTISTS WITH EXPERT-LED WORKSHOPS, CULTURAL EXCURSIONS, AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES. THESE INITIATIVES AIM TO FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, AND PROMOTE INCLUSIVITY IN THE MARINE SCIENCES, ENSURING DIVERSE VOICES ADDRESS CRITICAL OCEAN AND COASTAL ISSUES. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY, REPRESENTATION, AND EQUITY IN MARINE SCIENCES BY ENGAGING COMMUNITIES THROUGH TWO KEY EVENTS: ESSENCE FESTIVAL AND BIMS WEEK. THESE EVENTS AIM TO FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, BUILD AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS, AND PROVIDE IMMERSIVE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES TO MAKE MARINE SCIENCE ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT. THE ?BIMS OCEAN TO ESSENCE? EXHIBIT WILL SEEK TO RAISE AWARENESS AND INSPIRE ACTION ON MARINE ISSUES. BIMS WEEK OFFERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT AND NURTURE MARINE SCIENTISTS. THESE INITIATIVES PROMOTE INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION, ENHANCE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF MARINE AND COASTAL ISSUES, AND ENSURE DIVERSE VOICES ARE INCLUDED IN ADDRESSING CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, THEREBY CREATING A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE FUTURE FOR MARINE SCIENCE RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION. THE PI TEAM WILL UTILIZE NOVEL BIMS FRAMEWORKS TO MEASURE AND EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EVENTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

PROJECTS CONNECT PEOPLE TO THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED THROUGH THE CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS NETWORK AND SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF: IDENTIFYING, CONSERVING, RESTORING, AND INTERPRETING NATURAL, RECREATIONAL, HISTORICAL, AND CULTURAL RESOURCES WITHIN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED IDENTIFYING AND UTILIZING THE COLLECTIVE RESOURCES SITES FOR ENHANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION OF AND ACCESS TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY LINKING SITES WITH TRAILS, TOUR ROADS, SCENIC BYWAYS, AND OTHER CONNECTIONS DEVELOPING AND ESTABLISHING WATERTRAILS COMPRISING WATER ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS TO SITES AND OTHER LAND RESOURCES WITHIN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED AND CREATING A NETWORK OF SITES AND WATERTRAILS. THIS PROJECT WILL MERGE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND HISTORIES TO TEACH COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND INCORPORATE THEIR STORIES INTO THE CONSERVATION OF THE REGION. THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO 1) INCREASE LITERACY ON ENVIRONMENTAL DNA (EDNA) IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY REGIONS BLACK COMMUNITIES BY COLLECTING EDNA DATA AND INCORPORATING IT INTO BOCFS LONG-TERM DATA AND 2) PROVIDE A WAY TO SHARE AND INTERTWINE ECOLOGICAL AND STORYTELLING DATA FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES AND CREATE A RECORD OF THIS INFORMATION THAT WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO CLASSROOMS AND ARCHIVES. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, STATES AND OR THEIR POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.