Diversity, Equity, and Access

The Diversity, Equity, and Access team fosters and encourages the NISE Network’s efforts to reach a diverse audience with regard to geography, dis/ability, gender, race/ethnicity, language, and income. Members of this group offer a national approach to the work currently being done in Informal Science Education. Through workshops and partnerships with organizations dedicated to underserved populations, DEA imparts its mission to the NISE Net community as well as the broader field.

Goals

NISE Net seeks to increase understanding of nanoscale science and technology among underserved and underrepresented audiences so that:

• they may engage in this emerging technology as informed citizens
• we may inspire future scientists and engineers
• we increase the capacity in the ISE field to bring nanoscale science and technology to new audiences

Approach

The NISE Net strives to reach a diverse audience with regard to geography, dis/ability, gender, race/ethnicity, language and income. The DEA team acknowledges the NISE Net's existing work and proposes making extra efforts to reach those audiences more thoroughly.

Geography: Although the NISE Net has connected with small museums and rural libraries, DEA encourages the broader Network to spread throughout rural regions in all states. This will be done by building partnerships with existing regional networks and other informal learning organizations that serve rural areas.

Dis/Abilities: Through an intensive charrette focused on universal design, NISE Net has worked diligently with field experts to revise and refine four of its public programs. DEA advocates for greater inclusion of all people, despite level of ability, and seeks to make more NISE Net materials accessible through the use of video captions and accessible website features.

Gender: DEA advocates for a better understanding of how NISE Net programs and exhibits connect with girls and is looking for opportunities to share NISE Net products with other informal learning organizations that serve girls.

Race/Ethnicity: DEA actively shares NISE Net programs and products with diversity-focused organizations. The goal is to create ongoing partnerships with these organizations to better serve underrepresented communities in nanoscale science education. Efforts are underway to modify outreach materials and programs for greater accessibility and distribution.

Language: DEA is committed to making a representative set of NISE Net programs and products available in Spanish. These offerings will include bilingual audio exhibit labels, the NanoDays kit, key programs and the Nanomedicine Forum.

Income: The DEA encourages museums and other informal learning organizations to connect NISE Net activities to existing avenues for free days and programs.

Diversity Focused STEM Partners

• Engineers Week Coalition Diversity Council
• National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP)
• Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

Resources

Guidelines for creating accessible exhibits and programming within the NISE Network:

Universal Design Guidelines: Exhibits
Universal Design Guidelines: Programs

Ways You Can Contribute to This Effort

DEA is enthusiastic about engaging underrepresented audiences in NISE Net learning experiences, exploring programmatic offerings, and receiving input on materials to make them more accessible and relevant. Listed below are just a few examples of how you can contribute to this effort. Please share your examples/experiences working with underrepresented audiences in the comments section below or let us know how you think we can better serve all audiences.

• Use the NanoDays kits or other activity sets with your outreach programs, with your Title 1 schools, with girls clubs, with your underserved community segments
• Invite a diversity-focused organization to your institution for a nano-themed activity day
• Train youth from different backgrounds to deliver some of the NISE Net activities
• Help us brainstorm more ways to effectively include more diverse audiences
• Share NISE Net programmatic efforts, including translations, that you've tried with underrepresented audiences

NISE Network Diversity Workshop

The DEA Team is hosting a Diversity Workshop in Washington, D.C. on July 8-9, 2009. This gathering will provide both NISE Net team members as well as representatives from almost 20 diversity-serving organizations with an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with each other. Attendees, please visit our Workshop Page for more information.