This seminar series aims to provide professional development for students, faculty, and staff at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography around the topics of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the ocean sciences.
Below, find information on the JEDI Seminars at GSO from Fall 2023:
Mental Health Mini-retreat
Join us for a 30-minute guided meditation to restore well-being and health. Come as you are: no special clothing or equipment required.
Date: October 11th
Time: 9 – 9:30 a.m.
Location: Mosby
Speakers: Anya Hanson, GSO Diving Safety Officer and certified yoga instructor.
Safe Zone Training II Trans-identity
Learn about issues related to the transgender community, basic issues affecting the LGBTQ community, and how to be an ally.
Date: Tuesday, October 17
Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm
Location: Mosby
More information: https://web.uri.edu/gender-sexuality/safe-zone/
How to be an Ally of Mental Health at URI
Gina MacLure, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Coordinator of the Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, will be discussing creating a supportive campus climate for those struggling with their mental health. Learn and discuss warning signs of mental health concerns and ways we may be contributing to the stigma of mental health. Learn common resources for mental health concerns on and off campus as well as actions to take to deepen your knowledge and commitment in this area.
Speaker Bio: Gina MacLure MS LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Coordinator of the URI Couple and Family Therapy Clinic since 2012 for the URI Couple and Family Therapy Graduate Program. She has been in private practice since 2012 and specializes in Family Therapy with neurodivergence and comorbid mental health diagnoses. She supervises graduate students learning how to be couple and family therapists, teaches HDF courses and oversees graduate student internships. Gina is a Mental Health First Aid Trainer for URI and the local community. Her focus areas include: grief, neurobiology, trauma and parenting. She resides in SK with her husband and 2 children.
Date: Thursday, November 16
Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm
Location: Mosby
More information: https://web.uri.edu/pcc/mental-health-first-aid/
Minimizing Bias and Diverse Hiring Practices
Join us for a panel discussion on the utility and application of diverse hiring practices presented by the URI JEDI Committee on Creating a more Diverse Workforce. Panelists will explore how their institutions work to minimize bias in their hiring practices and discuss some of the challenges they face.
Date: Tuesday, January 30
Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm
Location: Mosby
Speakers: Kimberly Ohnemus (RI Sea Grant), Marty Chintala (US EPA), Robin Santini (URI HR Department), and Becky Robinson (URI GSO).
Below, find information on the JEDI Seminars at GSO from Fall 2022 and Spring 2023:
Coastal Access
Access to the shoreline is a topic that has gained more prominence in Rhode in recent years, but the discussion often does not include aspects such as Indigenous Rights. Cassius Spears, Jr. discussed barriers to the Narragansett Indian Tribe, which have historically used the shore for summer encampments.
“It’s important for us, as a tribe, to re-establish those relationships, where they have been severed,” he said during a town council meeting in Narragansett.
Speaker: Cassius Spears Jr., Narragansett Indian Tribe
Download the presentationDecolonizing Curriculum
This seminar discussed the value and application of decolonising STEM curricula. This includes understanding the history of colonialism and bias in our disciplines, how that shapes the voices and concepts in science that get heard, and how that frames our worldviews. Dr. Kelton McMahon discussed mechanisms to create spaces and resources for a dialogue among all members of our educational community on how to imagine and envision all cultures and knowledge systems in our curricula.
Speaker: Dr. Kelton McMahon (He/Him), associate professor of oceanography
Download the presentationMicroaggressions
Microaggressions are defined as the everyday, subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups. The difference between microaggressions and overt discrimination or macroaggressions, is that people who commit microaggressions might not even be aware of them. Speakers Princess Metuge and Michelle Fontes discussed recognizing, understanding, and addressing microaggressions.
Speakers: Princess Metuge, Asst. Dean, Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, URI Graduate School of Oceanography & Michelle Fontes, URI Interim Assistant Vice President for Community Equity and Diversity.
Download the presentationEnvironmental Justice & Water Research
To date, most of the existing environmental justice research has been focused on air pollution and hazardous facilities. There is an increasing recognition of a need to also focus on the intersection between environmental justice and water. We will discuss some of the existing environmental justice and water research and identify some of the best practices for moving forward.
Speakers: Dr. Kate Mulvaney, Dr. Michaela Cashman, Dr. Kaytee Canfield
Download the presentationDeveloping Codes of Conduct
This seminar discussed the value and process of developing Codes of Conduct from the laboratory to institutional level. A presentation providde information and resources for developing Codes of Conduct followed by an interactive discussion where attendants reviewed examples of Codes of Conduct adaptable for GSO.
Speaker: Dr. Tricia Thibodeau, URI Graduate School of Oceanography
Download the Presentation Sample Codes of Conduct
Being disabled in academia: Perspectives on ableism, disclosure and inclusivity
Many people live with some form of disability or neurodiversity that affects their daily life. Some disabilities can be immediately obvious, whilst others may not be immediately apparent, being invisible or hidden. In many countries, there are representative numbers of students with disabilities that are studying undergraduate degrees, so why is it that only few progress to graduate level study and beyond? Why do students with a disability choose not to disclose to the University? People with disabilities are significantly under-represented at faculty level, and face challenges with sustaining academic careers. What are the barriers that stop disabled people from disclosing disabilities or from pursuing academic careers?
As a deaf person who has navigated an academic career path, Dr. Davies discussed these questions and provided personal perspectives on being disabled in academia from student to faculty, with discussion on ableism, disclosure and inclusivity.
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Davies, URI Biological Sciences
Download the PresentationAnti-colonial research practices
Speaker: Dr. Amelia Moore, URI Department of Marine Affairs
Safe Zone Training
Safe Zone training was offered by Dr. Annie Russell from the URI Gender and Sexuality Center on basic issues affecting the LGBTQ community and how to be an ally.