DEI committee update

November 24, 2025

During the CANVAS 2025 meeting, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Committee hosted “Grounds for Connection,” an event that allowed attendees to enjoy complimentary coffee while meeting colleagues across research areas and career stages in a relaxed setting.

A note from the Chair: Liz Gillispie, Ph.D.

It has been a busy and challenging year for the sciences and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Committee. Whether you were able to join us at the CANVAS meeting or were part of our online events over 2025, we hope you left feeling inspired, seen, and connected. Watch for a recap of 2025 in the January issue of CSA News magazine.

CANVAS check-in: we want your thoughts!

We are conducting a quick poll to see how this year’s meeting felt from your perspective. The poll is short and anonymous.

Developing inclusive and safe fieldwork settings

Watch for registration information for our webinar, Developing Inclusive and Safe Fieldwork Settings,” on Tuesday, January 13 at 11:00 am central time.

Fieldwork is an important and transformative part of science. However, it also carries higher risk of harassment and sexual assault. Join us for this webinar where we will discuss fieldwork safety and provide best practices and resources for field leaders and participants to ensure inclusive and safe environments with a particular focus on ensuring all are safe (especially those with marginalized genders, sexual orientations, and ethnicities). Topics include:

Developing field-ready protocols for your unique field setting
Recognizing and mitigating risk factors in field settings
Identifying reporting requirements and channels while in the field
Providing templated field safety guides, community agreements, and a field safety checklist
Discussing safe intervention during incidents using a suite of bystander tools

Grounded in the latest evidence-based research on harassment prevention, organizational psychology, and the risks to field scientists, the presentation is designed to help participants build knowledge, competency, and self-efficacy so they can set and enforce positive norms for themselves and their coworkers in fieldwork settings.

Stay connected with the DEI committee

Have something cool happening on your campus or in your lab that supports DEI? Send it our way! We would love to highlight members in upcoming CSA News issues with a program you are proud of or a success story. This can be kept anonymous if needed. Please email Chrissie Segars.

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