Increasing Minority Participation in Tropical Biology: Supporting activities for the OTS Advisory Committee for Academic Diversity (ACAD)

热带研究组织（OTS）是一个由60多所学院和大学组成的联合体，它请求支持其学术多样性咨询委员会（ACAD）编制一份最佳做法手册，以解决环境和生物科学领域中代表性不足的少数群体的识别、招聘和保留问题，这是科学界的一个关键需求。该手册的基础将是去年夏天由ACAD和OTS在霍华德大学主办的一次研究研讨会上提出的数据和信息。ACAD是OTS董事会的一个常设委员会，负责为OTS提供关于扩大本科生、研究生和专业水平上代表性不足的少数民族参与的建议和理事会。自1999年以来，OTS加大了吸引少数民族学生到热带倡议领域的努力，如ACAD和少数民族学者计划。更广泛的影响创建一个最佳实践手册是一个重要的下一步，以增加非洲裔美国人，西班牙裔，美洲原住民和太平洋岛民谁追求在环境和生物科学的职业生涯。热带研究组织在其42年历史的大部分时间里，主要致力于与私立精英学院和大学合作。ACAD委员会通过该项目将促进州、HBCU、西班牙裔服务、部落学院和大学更多地参与OTS联盟。

Project SummaryIntellectual MeritThe Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) a consortium of more than 60 colleges anduniversities requests support for its Advisory Committee for Academic Diversity (ACAD) toproduce a manual of best practices that addresses identification, recruitment and retention ofunderrepresented minorities in the environmental and biological sciences, a critical need withinthe scientific community. The foundation for the manual will data and information presented at aresearch symposium sponsored by ACAD and OTS at Howard University last summer.ACAD is a standing committee of the OTS Board of Directors and is responsible for providingadvice and council to OTS on broadening participation of underrepresented minorities at theundergraduate, graduate and professional levels. Since 1999, OTS has increased its efforts toattract minority students to the field of tropical initiatives such as ACAD and the MinorityScholars Program.Broader ImpactsCreation of a manual of best practices is an important next step to increasing the number ofAfrican Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders who pursue careers in theenvironmental and biological sciences. The Organization for Tropical Studies for much of its42-year history has primarily focused on working with private, elite colleges and universities.The ACAD committee through this project will foster greater participation of state, HBCUs,Hispanic Serving, Tribal colleges and universities in the OTS consortium.