Berkeley Lab

Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – a presentation with Dr. Rowan Thomson – June 10, 2022

Presented by the Physics IDEA Team:

Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – a presentation with Dr. Rowan Thomson, Canada Research Chair and Professor in the Department of Physics at Carleton University

Date:  Friday, June 10, 2022
Time: 12 noon – 1 pm PT
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Across science, many groups continue to be underrepresented, and representation gaps appear set to persist for a long time.  For example, it is projected to take 258 years to reach gender parity in physics. What factors lead to disparities in representation? What are the challenges faced by equity-deserving groups? Why should we be motivated to effect change?  What can we do?

This presentation will focus on ideas to change the status quo – collective and sustained actions to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).  Recent published research will be described to raise awareness of EDI challenges in Science.  I will discuss how scientists may collaborate to advance EDI, focusing on practical and realistic actions. Finally, I will talk about the need for scientists to engage with our broader communities to challenge societal stereotypes that limit future generations’ perceptions of career and life options.

Biography:

Rowan Thomson is Canada Research Chair and Professor in the Department of Physics at Carleton University. She holds a BSc Double Honours Mathematics and Physics from Carleton University. Her PhD research was in theoretical high-energy physics (Superstring Theory) at Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo, and was awarded Waterloo’s Pearson Medal. Post-PhD, Dr. Thomson’s research has focused on computational radiotherapy physics; she became a faculty member at Carleton in 2010.  Prof. Thomson was awarded Ontario’s Polanyi Prize in Physics (2011), an Ontario Early Researcher Award (2015), and elected a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in 2020.  Prof. Thomson has great enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring future generations of physicists, and taking action to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Science.  In 2020, she was named Assistant Dean (EDI) in the Faculty of Science at Carleton.

Web pages:

https://people.physics.carleton.ca/~rthomson/

https://science.carleton.ca/about/edi/

Article relevant for this presentation:  https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/PT.3.4921

Image: Physics Today