ADM-07. What’s Happening in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at CIRES?

Abstract
Come by to talk about your DEI interests or just to see what's happening. In 2021-2022 CIRES DEI Program activities included releasing a new a strategic plan, supporting multiple DEI community spaces, and incorporating new programming. DEI Strategic Plan and Culture: The CIRES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan was released for CIRES-wide comment in 2022. The three draft strategic intentions are 1) build an inclusive, respectful culture that recognizes and embraces the diversity of our communities, 2) Increase CIRES' ability to successfully seek, hire, and retain a diverse workforce, and 3) Increase partnerships with organizations that serve underrepresented and marginalized groups in environmental sciences. We consider an inclusive culture to be the bedrock on which the other two strategic intentions must rest. To support that aim, CIRES has gone through two rounds of culture surveys, which demonstrated statistically significant gains which have not been previously reported. Connecting with others: CIRES offers or participates in spaces for employees and students to meet others who are interested in DEI or who share identities. These include the Teams Community of Practice virtual space, an Allies affinity group and a BIPOC affinity group (across all CUB Institutes), and the Society of Latinx/Hispanics in Earth and Space Science (SOLESS) which is hosted by CIRES. We can also connect employees with other affinity groups in geosciences and with DEI working groups across CIRES. New programming: In 2022 CIRES launched the CIRES/NOAA GSL Summer Program, a new internship program in which a diverse cohort of graduate and undergraduate students will conduct research with CIRES and NOAA GSL scientists.