Collaborative Research: FIELD: Fieldwork Inspiring Expanded Leadership and Diversity

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The FIELD Project will examine and address factors of geoscience field activity that limit participation by groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Field activity, including activity conducted outdoors, in remote locations, or away from a student or scientist's home institution, is an integral part of both education and research on the geosciences. However, many underrepresented groups find field activity fraught with excessive barriers limiting their participation in this essential aspect of the geosciences. Geoscience fieldwork remains dominated by white males. Individuals who are underrepresented in STEM (e.g. people with disabilities, minorities, women, LGBTQ individuals), face barriers with field activity including economic exclusion, anxiety about outdoor experiences, attitudes of ableism, sexual harassment/assault, and reduced accessibility in unfamiliar environments. Our team will systematically examine the field activity experience and identify specific factors contributing to the exclusionary nature of field work in the geosciences. Our findings will be beneficial across educational levels and disciplines as individuals in any field setting, from pre-college to senior faculty, can encounter similar barriers. Additionally, the results of this study will be applicable to any discipline with a field component, such as biology, ecology, archaeology, anthropology, or military science. The FIELD Project centers on the "FIELD Institute", a five day gathering of experienced geoscientists, in a field setting, to examine why field activity is exclusionary. The FIELD Project team foresees development of three significant outcomes during the course of study. The first will be an assessment of the barriers associated with field activity conducted before the FIELD Institute. The results of this assessment will reveal the nature and extent of exclusion that can then be disseminated. These results will guide planning of the FIELD Institute's professional development program. The second outcome will be the opportunity for leaders from 10 institutions to develop and implement new practices developed during the FIELD Institute for making the field activity more accessible and welcoming to women, underrepresented groups, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, low-income students, and individuals representing more than one of these identities. The third outcome will be a guide developed during the FIELD Institute documenting these best practices for widespread dissemination. Although intended for the geosciences, this guide will undoubtedly be applicable to additional STEM disciplines with a similar field component.