Summer Symposium 2020
14th Annual Summer Symposium
Saturday, August 8th, 2020
Held virtually by the Paleontological Research Institution
Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Paleontology
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Welcome
The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) Summer Symposium is a small, fun, and relatively informal event held at the end of the summer each year. We aim to attract academics, professionals, educators, and students from all varieties of natural science disciplines including paleontology, biology, geology, and the earth sciences.
This year, due to the effects of COVID-19 the PRI Summer Symposium goes virtual! Given the course of events and protests developing this summer across the world, we felt the need to continue the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion with our peers. So this year we decided to dedicate the entire PRI Summer Symposium to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Paleontology where we are inviting and soliciting speakers to share their experiences and discuss a path forward in our field during several shortened sessions. Each session will include talks, both live and recorded, 20 minutes in length followed by 5 minutes for questions. Additionally all speakers will be available at the end of each session for an open Q&A panel discussion with all participants. We aim to help foster a meaningful conversation for finding a path forward on how to tackle the overwhelming lack of diversity in our field as a whole.
Speakers
Dr. Christopher L. Atchison, Associate Professor of Geoscience Education, Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati
Dr. Phoebe A. Cohen, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences, Williams College
Dr. Kuheli Dutt, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs and Diversity, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
Dr. Jonathan R. Hendricks, Director of Science Communication, Paleontological Research Institution
Dr. Patricia H. Kelley, Professor Emerita, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington; Research Associate, Paleontological Research Institution
Mr. Cameron Muskelly, Paleontology Association of Georgia; 2020 Recipient of the Katherine Palmer Award, Paleontological Research Institution
Dr. Anne-Marie Nuñez, Professor, Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University
Dr. Julie R. Posselt, Associate Professor, Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern California
Dr. Philip J. Stokes, Executive Director, Hamburg Natural History Society/Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve
Dr. Christy C. Visaggi, Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Director, Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University
Event Schedule
**** Update Jul. 31, 2020: New speaker added to Session 3! ****
**** Note: We will email all registered attendees when recordings of the presentations available after the event.
Session 1, 9:00-11:00 EDT (13:00-15:00 UTC)
9:00 EDT (13:00 UTC), Session Introduction
9:05 EDT (13:05 UTC), Mr. Cameron Muskelly, “The Importance of Paleontology Education and Outreach in Georgia”
9:35 EDT (13:35 UTC), Dr. Christopher L. Atchison, “Diversity, Equity, and Exclusion? The Community Focused Effort to Broaden Participation in the Field-Focused Science Disciplines”
10:05 EDT (14:05 UTC), Dr. Jonathan R. Hendricks, “Free Resources for Teaching Paleontology Online”
Followed by ~30-minute live Q & A with the panelists.
Session 2, 13:00-15:00 EDT (17:00-19:00 UTC)
13:00 EDT (17:00 UTC), Session Introduction
13:05 EDT (17:05 UTC), Dr. Philip J. Stokes, “Factors Behind Underrepresentation in Geoscience and Some Other Stuff to Think About”
13:35 EDT (17:35 UTC), Dr. Phoebe A. Cohen, “A Gender Analysis of the Paleontological Society: Problems, Progress, and Possibilities”
14:05 EDT (18:05 UTC), Dr. Julie R. Posselt, “Eroded Boundaries and Institutionalized Silence in Fieldwork: Implications for Equity”
Followed by ~30-minute live Q & A with the panelists.
Session 3, 16:00-18:35 EDT (20:00-22:35 UTC)
16:00 EDT (20:00 UTC), Session Introduction
16:05 EDT (20:05 UTC), Dr. Kuheli Dutt, “Promoting Racial Diversity in the Geosciences”
16:35 EDT (20:35 UTC), Dr. Patricia H. Kelley, “The Way Things Are, and How to Change Them”
17:05 EDT (21:05 UTC), Dr. Anne-Marie Nuñez, “Toward Intersectional Equity in Geosciences”
17:35 EDT (21:35 UTC), Dr. Christy C. Visaggi, “Teaching Geology and Paleontology for All Identities”
Followed by ~30-minute live Q & A with the panelists.
Click here to view a PDF version of the 2020 Summer Symposium Program. Updated Jul. 31, 2020.
PRI Virtual Summer Symposium Code of Conduct
The PRI Virtual Summer Symposium organizers, and, by extension, the Paleontological Research Institution, values the diversity of views, expertise, opinions, backgrounds, and experiences reflected within our community and are committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. This Code of Conduct is important for promoting diversity and creating an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative environment for all people and cultures.
All event participants – including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, organizers, members of the media, and service providers, are expected to abide by this Code of Conduct.
We expect everyone to respect the following list of behaviors:
Expected Behavior
Treat everyone with kindness, respect, and consideration, valuing a diversity of views and opinions (including those you may not share).
Exhibit professional behavior at all times.
Communicate openly, with respect for others, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
Be mindful of your surroundings and of others. Alert symposium organizers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
Make space for new people to join in your conversations.
Unacceptable Behavior
Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form including, but not limited to:
Written, or verbal abuse
Exclusionary behavior and microaggressions related to age, appearance or body size, employment or military status, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, individual lifestyle, marital status, national origin, physical or cognitive ability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, race, or religion
Unwanted sexual attention and persistent unwanted attention
Use of sexual or discriminatory images or language
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
Sustained disruption of talks or other events
Bullying behavior, including intentional microaggressions
Retaliation for reporting unacceptable behavior
Unacceptable behavior intended in a joking manner still constitutes unacceptable behavior.
Avoid jokes about a specific group (like “undergrads”).
Avoid making derogatory comments toward a specific individual in the room.
Please do not take screenshots, record, or share content from any presentation or Q & A panel without the consent of the speaker(s).
Reporting Incidents
If you feel that you are the subject of unacceptable behavior, have witnessed any such behavior, or have other concerns, report the incident to the email address below as soon as possible. Conference organizers will work with you to resolve the situation.
Conference organizers will treat all reports seriously and will work to understand the situation through prompt investigation, including conversations with relevant individuals and witnesses before determining an appropriate course of action.
Contact information to report an incident: [email protected]
During the event, you can also send a message to the organizers in the Zoom chat box by directing the message to "Panelists” instead of “Everyone.”
Consequences
Anyone requested to stop a behavior by event facilitators is expected to comply immediately.
Event facilitators may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning.
Conference organizers reserve the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting.
Further action may be deemed necessary to address egregious acts.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the organizers of the 2020 SPNHC/ICOM-NATHIST Virtual Conference for allowing us to use text from their event code of conduct.
Registration
Online registration is required to join this year’s Summer Symposium. Follow the link below to register and receive a link to the event.
There is no registration fee this year. The PRI Symposium organizers and speakers have chosen to donate their time and labor for this event. We have invited our speakers to suggest a cause they feel strongly about that is related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in geology and paleontology. In lieu of a registration fee, please consider donating to one of the organizations chosen by our speakers if you are able.
Click here to see a list of suggested places to donate. If you are attending from outside the US, please consider supporting a local organization in your area.
In keeping with this year’s focus on diversity and inclusion, we are choosing to promote other organizations doing work in this area instead of asking participants to donate to PRI. However, if you would like to make a donation to PRI, you may do so here.
If you have any questions or would like to request accommodations, please contact [email protected].
We will make recordings of the presentations available after the event. To receive an email when the recordings are posted, you can register for the event and leave a note in the comment box that you intend to watch the recordings later.
Registration is now closed.
Attendee Announcements and Resources
Thank you for helping to make this year’s PRI Summer Symposium such a wonderful success! We had over 200 attendees join the virtual event from all over the world.
PRI Virtual Summer Symposium Code of Conduct
Feedback Survey: Click here to complete the feedback survey. All responses are anonymous. The survey is now closed.
Resources: A list of resources and articles mentioned during presentations is now available.
Planning your own virtual event? Our presenter and moderator guidelines are posted below! Our guides were adapted from documents shared by the organizers of other virtual events. Feel free to adapt these guidelines for your own use. We only ask that you credit us and the original creators if you do. We’d also love to hear from you if found them helpful or have any questions.
PRI Summer Symposium 2020 Presenter Guidelines
PRI Summer Symposium 2020 Moderator Guidelines
Recordings: Captioned recordings of the presentations are now available on the PRI Youtube channel.
Donations: In lieu of a registration fee, please consider donating to one of the organizations chosen by our speakers if you are able. If you are attending from outside the US, please consider supporting a local organization in your area. Click here to see a list of suggested places to donate.
Contact: [email protected]. We will monitor messages sent to this email during the event should you need to contact us.
Please be patient as we navigate this virtual format and any technical difficulties we may have. If zoom crashes for any reason, please rejoin the webinar with your registration link and we will resume as soon as possible.
2020 PRI Symposium Planning Committee
Caren Shin, Corey Hensen, Dana Friend, Jaleigh Pier, Matthew Pruden, Vicky Wang
Page last updated August 31, 2020.