Working Groups
Academic Recruitment
Academic Recruitment Group is responsible for enhancing the recruitment of under-represented groups to our Academic Programs (JP, postdocs, undergrad programs). This group works with APO, PEP, and MIT to establish institutional relationships and pathways for access. Current initiatives focus on middle and high school outreach education, student recruitment strategies, and publishing the Through the Porthole newsletter which offers resources for undergraduate students considering applying to graduate school.
Contact: Kama Thieler and Tom Bell
Messaging
The Messaging Group is responsible for composing, designing, and communicating our message within and beyond the WHOI community. They collaborated with local community media center, FCTV, to publish a series of short interviews called “Conversation Starters”. This series highlights members of the WHO community working on DEI related initiatives (linked here). This group is also responsible for designing and launching the #humansofwhoi campaign in collaboration with the Communications Department, as well as working with the CDEIO on expanding inclusive artwork on the WHOI campus.
Contact: Elise Hugus and Veronique LaCapra
Events
Events Group is responsible for organizing the Committee's participation in events we initiate, such as Celebrating Humans of WHOI, as well as those we co-sponsor with other groups and the CDEIO, such as the Room Naming Celebration, events at the Science Stroll, and others. We also developed and maintain the WHOI Inclusive Event Guidelines.
Contact: Laura Motta and Loay Jabre
Disability Education and Advocacy
The WHOI Disability Education and Advocacy Working Group was formed in fall 2024 to increase awareness and promote equity, inclusion, and access for people with disabilities at WHOI and for the broader communities that we serve. We aim to expand the WHOI community’s understanding of unintentional biases and barriers excluding disabled people and ways to overcome those challenges. We strive to develop ourselves as a resource and a collective voice for people with disabilities to advocate for structural and cultural changes. Ultimately, our goal is to develop WHOI as a supportive and effective working and learning environment for all by advocating for the removal of existing barriers to inclusion and the implementation of equitable policies and procedures.
Contact: Amy Bower and Grace Simpkins
Retired Working Groups
The CDEI recongizes that at any point in time, new working groups are needed to tackle issues and these usually grow out of community interest and engagement from both within and outside of the CDEI. In the past, we have had working groups that focused on Community Building, the URGE program, Incubator for new ideas, and Room Naming. If you have ideas for future working groups, email the co-chairs: Julie Huber & Ben Weiss.
Updates
December 10 marks the 209th anniversary of the birth of Ada Lovelace. Often referred to as the “first computer programmer,” Lovelace was known for her contributions working on the Analytical Engine, one of the first mechanical computers. If you perform computational analysis as part of your work at WHOI—or if you’re simply curious to learn more…
The second annual Black in Marine Science (BIMS) Week will take place Dec. 1–7 in San Diego, Calif. This “unforgettable professional growth and wellness retreat” includes a full schedule of networking events, brainstorming sessions, and team-building activities. This year’s keynote speaker is geographer and oceanographer Dawn Wright (aka @DeepSeaDawn), the Chief Scientist of the Environmental…
Since 1970, the United American Indians of New England have observed a National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving Day. This Thursday, November 28, from 12-3pm, supporters are invited to a demonstration and march through downtown Plymouth, the site of the mythologized First Thanksgiving. Indigenous speakers will open the event at Cole’s Hill, a public park…
Observed every year on November 20, Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) honors the memory of transgender people killed in anti-trans violence. Last year (Oct. 1, 2022 – Sep. 30, 2023), 321 trans and gender diverse people were reported murdered worldwide, according to tracking by the trans rights and wellbeing organization TGEU (Transgender Europe). The true…
Shout out to WHOI veterans, past and present! In 1967, US Army Sergeant Arthur Lee Martin became the first African American to dive in the deep-sea submersible Alvin! In celebration of ALVIN’s 60th anniversary, Sgt. Martin came to WHOI during August’s Science Stroll to share insights from his long and successful career. Having faced significant…
Every November, Native American Heritage Month honors the history, culture, and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Established in 1990, the month celebrates the contributions and rich heritage of Indigenous peoples throughout the country and invites everyone to deepen their understanding of Native communities through cultural events, supporting Native-owned businesses, learning about…
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time to remember, honor, and celebrate loved ones who have died. A holiday in Mexico, the tradition is marked across much of Latin America and the United States. The festivities span at least two days: Nov. 1, known as Día de los Inocentes (“Day of…
“Tell no lies, claim no easy victories” was the motto of pan-Africanist freedom fighter and agronomist Amilcar Cabral, who in the 1970s led independence movements in his native Guinea-Bissau (then Portuguese Guinea) and the Cape Verde Islands (where his parents were from). Join Bridgewater State University’s Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies and the…
The Wampanoag tribes, or “People of the First Light,” were among the first Indigenous Americans to lose their land—and language—to European colonists. But thanks to the efforts of Tribal linguists over the last 30 years, the Wôpanâak language has been revived. On Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5:30-6:30pm at Highfield Hall & Gardens (56 Highfield Drive,…
Indigenous People’s Day celebrates the histories and cultures of the numerous Indigenous peoples who have lived in the Americas for thousands of years. It also recognizes and acknowledges that we still have a long way to go to address the history of erasure, dispossession, and violence against America’s first inhabitants. Unlike Columbus Day, which occurs…