Removing Systemic Barriers to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Report of the 2019 Plant Science Research Network Workshop “Inclusivity in the Plant Sciences”

A future in which scientific discoveries are valued and trusted by the general public cannot be achieved without greater inclusion and participation of diverse communities. To envision a path towards this future, in January 2019 a diverse group of researchers, educators, students, and administrators gathered to hear and share personal perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the plant sciences. From these broad perspectives, the group developed strategies and identified tactics to facilitate and support EDI within and beyond the plant science community. The workshop leveraged scenario planning and the richness of its participants to develop recommendations aimed at promoting systemic change at the institutional level through the actions of scientific societies, universities, and individuals and through new funding models to support research and training. While these initiatives were formulated specifically for the plant science community, they can also serve as a model to advance EDI in other disciplines. The proposed actions are thematically broad, integrating into discovery, applied and translational science, requiring and embracing multidisciplinarity, and giving voice to previously unheard perspectives. We offer a vision of barrier-free access to participation in science, and a plant science community that reflects the diversity of our rapidly changing nation, and supports and invests in the training and well-being of all its members. The relevance and robustness of our recommendations has been tested by dramatic and global events since the workshop. The time to act upon them is now

Purpose-driven Organizations

A higher purpose is not simply about profit. Symbolising the motivations of our actions and efforts, it reflects something much more aspirational and contributes to our global society. This open access book offers novel solutions to ensure employees support a wider organizational meaning whilst guaranteeing that the company benefits from the employee’s individual sense of purpose. Advocating a shift from previous models and theories, this book contributes to debate and offers insight for both scholars and practitioners. The chapters bring together academic rigour and practical models to help readers distinguish between the fads and influential strategies. Exploring the development of purpose at each level of business, from strategy and leadership to communication, this book avoids theoretical jargon and provides new approaches to building sustainable purpose-driven organizations. This is an Open Access book sponsored by DPMC Spain, UIC Barcelona and Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadershi

Evaluating a community-based program within multi-ethnic communities: examining the outreach and engagement program of MECCA

The present study includes a program evaluation to assess the extent to which a community based multiethnic program, specifically the Outreach & Engagement (O&E) Program of the Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) adhered to Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles as intended in its development and implementation. A post-reflection discussion, which included questions that were guided by the Community-Based Participatory Research Evidence-Based Curriculum, with the O&E Program Evaluator determined the extent to which each CBPR principle was fulfilled. Thematic findings from the post-reflection discussion highlighted many strengths, as well as areas of improvement within the research-community partnerships. MECCA’s O&E Program proved to successfully apply and incorporate CBPR principles within a county-funded framework, as well as demonstrated ways to simultaneously serve and collaborate with a multitude of multi-ethnic communities. Additional research is needed with applying CBPR principles simultaneously with various multiethnic communities and its’ potential influence on the development, implementation, and evaluation of CBPR programs