About AGU LANDInG
An equitable and inclusive geosciences discipline requires a systemic cultural shift. DEI champions and leaders in the geosciences lack a central community for networking and professional development, hindering broader impact of their efforts. AGU LANDInG (Leadership Academy and Network for Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences) will cultivate and elevate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) champions within the geosciences to address this need. LANDInG comprises a sustainable network of (formal and informal) leaders to champion DEI values and practices, developing cohorts of new leaders to implement DEI efforts that broaden participation across the geosciences.
AGU LANDInG has three elements: (1) a sustainable Community of Practice (CoP) Network for DEI champions in the geosciences, including a virtual platform (The LANDInG Site) and in-person events to engage and support a broad representation of DEI champions within the geosciences in networking, resource-sharing, and professional development activities; (2) the AGU LANDInG Academy is professional development for DEI leaders in the geosciences to build capacity for evidence-based leadership of DEI efforts that specifically address to the needs of the geoscience community; and (3) the AGU LANDInG-PRFP is a two-year program designed to maximize the future success of a national cohort of 60+ STEMM Postdoctoral Fellows as professionals, scientists, mentors and educators.
AGU LANDInG’s model for change draws from research and theory spanning social and organizational sciences, including the literatures on professional networks/mentoring, and implementing effective diversity and leader training. Our methods for enacting change are evidence-based and framed by national models for cohort-based professional development within higher education/STEM.
Changing GeoScience Culture
We welcome you to the LANDInG CoP and to this journey of sharing, learning, and action!
Multiple studies document the need for a changed geoscience culture. The call for change is documented across multiple fronts (including, but not limited to): barriers to accessibility for persons with disabilities; pervasive sexual and gender harassment on campuses and in field research environments; flat trends in racial and ethnic diversity despite decades of consideration; perpetuated myth of meritocracy in awards and recognition practices; ongoing discrimination and unsafe conditions for members of the LGBTQ+ community; and lack of awareness and respect for Indigenous Knowledges and Indigenous Knowledge systems.
The LANDInG Project will advance and promote evidence-based resources and practices to help participants understand and take actions to address these and other needed areas of geoscience culture change. Our vision is that these rich curated resources and educational tools, with invited contributions from international subject matter experts, will provide fuel for personal change, institutional change and systemic change.
