July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020Diversity NSB

Upcoming Events

REGISTER for the #BlackinSTEM at UMass panel discussion on Wednesday, August 5 from 6-7:30 pm. Registration and more information about the event are available here. ** UPDATE: If you missed this event, you can now view it here.**

Event Panelists

Panelists include NSB faculty member Dr. Gerald B. Downes.

JOIN Academics for Black Survival and Wellness: The Rewind and Remix for three weeks of learning, reflecting, and taking action to support #Academics4BlackLives. Events run August 1 – 21. Sign up for all training events here.

July 23, 2020

July 23, 2020Diversity NSB

Action item for the week:

LISTEN & LEARN from Black neuroscientists during #BlackInNeuroWeek2020 on Twitter and Instagram. From July 27 – August 2, Black neuroscientists will be discussing their journeys to a career in neuroscience research, the mentors that have helped them, and the racism they have experienced along the way. Make sure to spend some time reading the Profiles of Black neuroscientists, particularly those working in your field.

Question of the week:

What have you learned from your colleagues this week about being #BlackInNeuro?

July 16, 2020

July 16, 2020Diversity NSB

Action items for the week:

REGISTER & ATTEND a discussion with Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Anti-Racist hosted by Prince George’s County Memorial Library. The event is Monday, July 20 at 7 pm; pre-registration is required.
Edit: Streaming of the discussion is now available online here.
IDENTIFY a group of colleagues or friends to form an anti-racism book club. Check out our DIY Book Club page to select your first book for discussion.
READ the article “What Black scientists want from colleagues and their institutions” by Virginia Gewin in Nature.

Question of the week:

What anti-racism actions can you take to support Black students, postdocs, and faculty?

July 13, 2020

July 13, 2020Diversity NSB

Illustration by C. Daniela Shapiro (@cds.art)

Action items for the week:

READ about the experiences of Black academics in For Black Scientists, the Sorrow Is Also Personal by Dr. Kafui Dzirasa.
WATCH this discussion between W. Kamau Bell and Conan O’Brien about the phrase Black Lives Matter and the need for white people to do the anti-racism work.
THINK about the danger of fear after reading Who Gets to Be Afraid in America? by Ibram X. Kendi.
LISTEN to Experiences of Black STEM in the Ivory: A Call to Disruptive Action hosted by the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute at the University of Washington.
Edit: Recordings of these discussions are now available online at the same link.

Question of the week:

What anti-racism work can you show now that will leave a last impact?

July 6, 2020

July 6, 2020Diversity NSB

Action items for the week:

SIGN the petition, spearheaded by UMass NSB graduate student Wayne Barnaby, to support the UMass Black and Brown Community here.
TEST your implicit bias through the link on our DEI in Science page. Implicit bias is the unconscious attitudes and stereotypes we hold that affect our behavior and decisions. Learn about your own implicit biases by taking some of the online tests.
WATCH the Society for Neuroscience panel discussion on Black Lives Matter and Neuroscience: Why This Moment Matters. A recording of the webinar is available here.
READ about cognitive reserve and racial privilege in STEM in this post by NSB graduate student Mélise Edwards.

Question of the week:

What are your implicit biases? How might your biases affect your colleagues, peers, and mentees?