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Diversity & Inclusivity:
I am committed to building and contributing to an inclusive, compassionate academic community.
We are experiencing a crucial moment in modern history. Values formerly taken for granted are being
revisited and redefined by both new and old interpretations of ethics. In this regard, certain portions
and minorities in our society are being challenged, marginalized and faced with distrust. In such a
climate, we are -- more than ever -- in need of efforts to include marginalized populations into the
evolution of our society. We need to be vigil to address the divisions and bridge the gaps.
This is admittedly much easier said than done, and we all need to listen and educate nourselves
in this regard. To this end, and in spite of cultural obstacles, I have endeavored to benefit from
great mentors who in many ways taught me to always think of equity in team work and during
hardships. I have constantly tried to use my less pleasant experiences -- marginalization, ethnic
discrimination, etc -- to build inclusive environments and establish dialog both as a researcher
and as a teacher.
I firmly believe the diversity in the academic community has propelled the minds of scientists
and transcended our ability to push the boundaries of knowledge by involving thinkers from
diverse backgrounds. In that, the scientific community has, without exception, found its strength
in its diversity and excelled by including outside reviews and comments. Also in my view, fruitful
scientific collaborations happen only if researchers feel they are taking part in a study as peers,
and this is possible if they are mentored in an inclusive environment.
Similarly, my best teaching/lecturing experiences have been from large classes with mixed
populations, especially when the often-marginalized students in the audience were able to
draw upon (and share ideas from) their personal backgrounds. Of course, there are always
obstacles, but to succeed, one should grasp any opportunity to take part in diverse, inclusive
conversations and collaborations while trying to approach people with different backgrounds.
This is why, in my classes, I encourage students to actively take part in the discussions as
equals. I believe, due to the abundance of open questions in the field, Earth science classrooms
and labs can be great examples of team learning, as teachers and researchers have excellent
opportunities to get involved in the learning process as future colleagues. In this way, everyone
in the team will have an input while attaining the course or research objectives.
In order to facilitate this goal, I use strategies involving various active learning methods. For
instance, in large classes, I usually have a small group of students (selected from last time)
work together to present or summarize certain topics from the previous lecture for a few
minutes in the beginning of every class. This not only is an excellent chance for the presenting
individuals to draw upon their own backgrounds -- in fact, I insist upon incorporating personal
ideas and experiences -- in making the topic their own, but also provides their classmates with
a unique opportunity to get exposed to a topic they already know about, in new words, and
perhaps closer to their experiences. Another great benefit of this activity is preventing
individuals -- perhaps from culturally, intellectually or racially different backgrounds or of
different genders -- from being marginalized. In the end, I am committed to the excellence
of academic experience through encouraging diversity as diversity in research and teaching
groups provides valuable opportunities to examine ideas from different perspectives. I do
believe what makes us different, also makes us stronger. Only with compassion and mutual
respect shall we overcome the obstacles and hard days ahead of us in the scientific
community and members of the human race.
I am committed to building and contributing to an inclusive, compassionate academic community.
We are experiencing a crucial moment in modern history. Values formerly taken for granted are being
revisited and redefined by both new and old interpretations of ethics. In this regard, certain portions
and minorities in our society are being challenged, marginalized and faced with distrust. In such a
climate, we are -- more than ever -- in need of efforts to include marginalized populations into the
evolution of our society. We need to be vigil to address the divisions and bridge the gaps.
This is admittedly much easier said than done, and we all need to listen and educate nourselves
in this regard. To this end, and in spite of cultural obstacles, I have endeavored to benefit from
great mentors who in many ways taught me to always think of equity in team work and during
hardships. I have constantly tried to use my less pleasant experiences -- marginalization, ethnic
discrimination, etc -- to build inclusive environments and establish dialog both as a researcher
and as a teacher.
I firmly believe the diversity in the academic community has propelled the minds of scientists
and transcended our ability to push the boundaries of knowledge by involving thinkers from
diverse backgrounds. In that, the scientific community has, without exception, found its strength
in its diversity and excelled by including outside reviews and comments. Also in my view, fruitful
scientific collaborations happen only if researchers feel they are taking part in a study as peers,
and this is possible if they are mentored in an inclusive environment.
Similarly, my best teaching/lecturing experiences have been from large classes with mixed
populations, especially when the often-marginalized students in the audience were able to
draw upon (and share ideas from) their personal backgrounds. Of course, there are always
obstacles, but to succeed, one should grasp any opportunity to take part in diverse, inclusive
conversations and collaborations while trying to approach people with different backgrounds.
This is why, in my classes, I encourage students to actively take part in the discussions as
equals. I believe, due to the abundance of open questions in the field, Earth science classrooms
and labs can be great examples of team learning, as teachers and researchers have excellent
opportunities to get involved in the learning process as future colleagues. In this way, everyone
in the team will have an input while attaining the course or research objectives.
In order to facilitate this goal, I use strategies involving various active learning methods. For
instance, in large classes, I usually have a small group of students (selected from last time)
work together to present or summarize certain topics from the previous lecture for a few
minutes in the beginning of every class. This not only is an excellent chance for the presenting
individuals to draw upon their own backgrounds -- in fact, I insist upon incorporating personal
ideas and experiences -- in making the topic their own, but also provides their classmates with
a unique opportunity to get exposed to a topic they already know about, in new words, and
perhaps closer to their experiences. Another great benefit of this activity is preventing
individuals -- perhaps from culturally, intellectually or racially different backgrounds or of
different genders -- from being marginalized. In the end, I am committed to the excellence
of academic experience through encouraging diversity as diversity in research and teaching
groups provides valuable opportunities to examine ideas from different perspectives. I do
believe what makes us different, also makes us stronger. Only with compassion and mutual
respect shall we overcome the obstacles and hard days ahead of us in the scientific
community and members of the human race.