Inclusion Plan Resources

Inclusion is a core NASA value as described in the NASA policy statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Additionally, Strategy 4.1 of “Science 2020-2024: A Vision for Scientific Excellence” states that NASA should “Increase the diversity of thought and backgrounds represented across the entire SMD portfolio through a more inclusive environment.” In keeping with this core value, some NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) programs are piloting the addition of a required Inclusion Plan.

Inclusion is defined here as the full participation, belonging, and contribution of organizations and individuals. Note that inclusion is distinct and different from diversity. Inclusion requires that all individuals can participate fully, regardless of the diversity dimension, do their best work, advance their career, and feel welcomed, valued, connected, engaged, and supported to reach their full potential. If a program element requires an Inclusion Plan, it shall focus on inclusion, not diversity, accessibility, or equity. Proposers shall tailor their Inclusion Plans specifically to the proposal team rather than to generic issues in the broader STEM community surrounding inclusion.

Below are resources to support writing, revision, and implementation of Inclusion Plans. This includes NASA’s definitions of DEIA, materials supporting required elements of a plan, and other resources to facilitate realization of a successful plan.

In a continuation and extension of our inclusion plan pilot study, ROSES takes a more uniform and consistent approach to inclusion plan requirements. By the time final text for all of the opportunities are released, we anticipate that more than a dozen program elements in ROSES will require a 2-page "Inclusion Plan". For more information, please see Section IV(e)ii of the ROSES-2024 Summary of Solicitation for more information.

This page is a work in progress. Please check back for further updates.

General

Sacco, T. & Norman, D. Report on the Review of ATP Inclusion Plans by DEI Expert and Science Expert Panels. This paper highlights the first Astrophysics Division Inclusion Plan pilot conducted in 2021 for the Astrophysics Theory Program. Bulletin of the AAS. Mar 03, 2022. DOI: 10.3847/25c2cfeb.19262acc. Source: https://baas.aas.org/pub/2022i028/release/1
White papers on DEIA topics in response to the request for community input to the 2013-2022 planetary science Decadal Survey. Source: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/planetary_news/2020/09/02/white-papers-on-deia-topics-in-response-to-the-request-for-community-input-to-the-2013-2022-planetary-science-decadal-survey/
Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education. This website contains resources for academics related to Inclusion, as well as diversity and equity. Source: http://www.igenetwork.org/
Glaze-Crampes, A. (2020). Leveraging Communities of Practice as Professional Learning Communities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Education. Source: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1264575

Challenges to Inclusive working environment

This article highlights the importance of Inclusion in STEM research and educational settings and present useful argument of why “Diversity” alone is not enough to create a safe and inclusive environment that enables every members of the lab/research group to thrive. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aai9054
“Minority Serving Institutions: America's Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM Workforce” (2019). This report highlights the challenges and possible solution to the creation of an inclusive workforce in STEM fields. Source: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/25257/chapter/1
“Decades of systemic racial disparities in funding rates at the National Science Foundation”. This report presents decades of data on the disparities in funding from NSF STEM programs. It also highlights the importance of a more inclusive work culture that may help minimize these gaps at the receiving ends of the funding pipeline. Source: https://osf.io/xb57u/
AIP Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy (TEAM-UP) 2020 report: this report analyzes many barriers undergraduate students face in their career with special attention to the structural and persistent barriers that exist also in department, institutions and research groups. Source: https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aipcorp/files/teamup-full-report.pdf

Best practices

This is the first version of a toolkit designed for the US Extremely Large Telescope Projects focus on the creation of inclusive environments. It contains customizable searches focus on barriers, best practices and assessments. The second version to be released in late summer 2023 will have a more rich focus on metrics and assessments. https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/us-eltp/research-inclusion-initiative(reference: https://zenodo.org/record/7603698#.ZDm5b-zMLOQ)
Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT) website contains useful resources for graduate students and faculty in Physical science. These include, for example, holistic evaluation best practices for recruitment of team members. Source: https://voices.uchicago.edu/grit/
Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions (2022): this report presents, among others, the importance of inclusive strategies in the creation and management of safe and inclusive teams. Source: http://nap.naptionalacademies.org/26385
“Federal departments fail to achieve disability hiring goals”: this article presents the effort to create strategies for a more inclusive working environment through hiring practices. Source: https://www.federaltimes.com/management/2022/05/26/majority-of-federal-departments-fail-to-achieve-disability-hiring-goal/
Article on the “value of a Physics Identity”: this article touches upon one of the recommendation from the American Institute of Physics to overcome the lack of Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy among African American students. It further highlight the importance of the development of a “physics identity” that would create a safer and more inclusive working environment in the academic and research settings. Source: https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/the-value-of-a-physics-identity
The American Psychological Association’s Inclusive Language Guidelines. Source: https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guidelines.pdf
18F Inclusive Language guide. Source: https://content-guide.18f.gov/our-style/inclusive-language/
Best Practices for Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Education and Research: A Guide by and For Federal Agencies. A Report by the Interagency Working Group on Inclusion in STEM. September 2021. Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/091621-Best-Practices-forDiversity-Inclusion-in-STEM.pdf
Introduction to Community of Practices. Source: https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
Understanding “sphere of influence”. Source: https://www.istructe.org/resources/blog/spheres-of-influence-and-diversity-and-inclusion/
Recruiting best practices. Source: https://skylight.science.ubc.ca/review-themes-and-promising-practices-stem-based-work-equity-diversity-and-inclusion
Inclusive meetings practices. Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/management-and-culture/diversity-and-inclusion/run-inclusive-meetings/
Creation of Inclusive Workspace Culture. Source: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10055-create-inclusive-workplace-culture.html
White House “Best Practices for Diversity and Inclusion in STEM". Source: https://natsci.msu.edu/sites/_natsci/assets/File/Diversity/Search%20Committee%20Best%20Practices/V3%20Rubric%20to%20Assess%20Contributions%20to%20Diversity%2C%20Equity%2C%20and%20Inclusion.pdf
Hardcastle, Valerie Gray, Stacie Furst-Holloway, Rachel Kallen, and Farrah Jacquez. 2017. “It’s complicated: A multi-method approach to broadening participation in STEM.” Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal 38 (3): 349-361. Source:
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2202722769/92A19317909F46A8PQ/4?parentSessi onId=j%2BbncSNgjJPrY8z1Mc7I0rDypgP%2BTXVmQLhIGSpJd0Y%3D

Assessments/metrics

Preston, L., Chambers, D., Wilson, J. and Booth, A. (2016) Review of diversity and inclusion literature and an evaluation of methodologies and metrics relating to health research: Systematic mapping protocol: University of Sheffield. Source: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/121213/1/review-of-diversity-and-inclusion-literature.pdf
Metrics to measure Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Source: https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/trends/how-to-measure-dei
Article on How to Measure Inclusion in the Workplace. Source: https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-to-measure-inclusion-in-the-workplace

Team dynamics/safety

Forbes article on “16 effective ways to boost morale among remote team members”. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/02/02/16-effective-ways-to-boost-morale-among-remote-team-members/?sh=2816a6483033
“Project Implicit – helps you discover what biases you may have as you work with different people”. Source: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
“Disrupting Academic Bullying”. Source: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/we-hear-your-voice/disrupting_academic_bullying.html
“Disrupting micro-aggression.” Source: https://www.higheredtoday.org/2016/07/27/understanding-and-combatting-microaggressions-in-postsecondary-education/

Policies/Laws/Eos

NASA Office Of Diversity and Equal Opportunities (ODEO): https://www.nasa.gov/offices/odeo/diversity-and-inclusion
Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce (2021). https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executiveorder-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/

Workshops and Town Halls

February 20, 2024

On February 20, 2024, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Inclusion Plan Community of Practice hosted a webinar to discuss requirements for and evaluation of Inclusion Plans in ROSES-2024. The webinar covered the following topics: (1) the motivation and goals of Inclusion Plans, (2) Inclusion Plan requirements and how they differ from previous years, and (3) how Inclusion Plans will be evaluated. Please view the recording of the February 2024 Inclusion town hall meeting at: https://science.nasa.gov/video-detail/smd-town-hall-on-inclusion-plan-requirements-20240220-1951-1/

Nov. 1-2, 2022

The Inclusion Plan Best Practices Workshop, held Nov. 1-2, 2022, was hosted by NASA SMD with the goal of providing proposers with some background and tools needed to be active participants in creating and maintaining inclusive work environments. Topics included common barriers to inclusive working environments, psychological safety, understanding the distinction between inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and more. Recordings and slides are available at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/inclusionplan2022/

Training

UC Berkeley Othering and Belonging Institute: the website offers several resources and training focused on Inclusion (as well as Diversity and Equity) within the academic, research and social settings. Source: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/
National Research Mentoring Network offer mentoring workshops at different levels (undergraduate, graduates, and postdocs/faculty). Source: https://nrmnet.net/