Ecology Plus (Ecology+): Broadening Pathways to Ecological Careers through a Collective Impact Approach

Ecology Plus（生态）是 NSF INCLUDES 启动试点项目，其目标是增加代表性不足的少数族裔在生态发挥作用的广泛职业道路中的参与度。该项目认识到，为了有效和公平地解决直接影响社会福祉和国家安全的环境问题，需要创新的科学研究和更广泛的社会参与。通过社会各界的充分参与，研究和政策都会得到加强。尽管多年来存在多个项目，但代表性不足的少数群体参与生态学的障碍仍然存在。一个首要的系统性问题仍然至关重要：项目之间的联系不足导致职业道路的关键转变点出现中断。项目活动将通过制定可在全国范围内推广的区域联盟建设方法来奠定基础。生态学将使用一个集体影响框架——其特点是共同议程、共享测量、相辅相成的活动、持续沟通和骨干支持——来优化对本科生、研究生和早期职业技术和专业科学家的职业指导和支持。从华盛顿-巴尔的摩地区开始，该项目的主要目标是开发基础设施，以便有能力在全国范围内扩展的合作伙伴之间进行有效的沟通；绘制潜在的职业道路以及相关的必要能力、机会和导师；赋予联盟参与者克服制度障碍和无意识偏见模式的能力。 Ecology 将： a) 建立在线指导平台； b) 举办招聘会，提供励志演讲和个人职业发展计划指导； c) 提供一系列相关技能研讨会； d) 安排研究或实习经历； e) 促进与机构、商业和非营利部门的雇主的认识和交流机会。 生态学的价值在于其全面、综合的方法，它将让新的合作伙伴及其资源对影响科学领域代表性不足的少数群体的关键障碍做出变革性和系统性的反应。

Ecology Plus (Ecology+) is an NSF INCLUDES Launch Pilot project with a goal of increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in a broad range of career pathways where ecology plays a role. This project recognizes that both innovative scientific research and wider societal participation are needed for effective and equitable solutions to environmental issues that directly impact societal well-being and national security. Both research and policy are enhanced by full participation of all sectors of society. Despite the existence of multiple programs over many years, barriers to the participation of underrepresented minorities in ecology persist. One overarching systemic issue remains critical: that insufficient connections among programs result in breaks along critical transition points in career pathways. Project activities will lay the groundwork by developing a regional approach to alliance-building that can be extended across the nation. Ecology+ will use a collective impact framework -- characterized by a common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support -- to optimize career guidance and support for undergraduate students, graduate students and early career technical and professional scientists. Starting in the Washington-Baltimore region, key objectives of the project are to develop infrastructure for effective communications among partners with the capacity to expand nationally; map potential career pathways with associated sets of necessary competencies, opportunities and mentors, and; empower alliance participants to overcome institutional barriers and patterns of unconscious bias. Ecology+ will: a) establish an online mentoring platform; b) offer a career fair with motivational talks and guidance on individual career development plans; c) offer a series of relevant skills workshops; d) arrange research or internship experiences, and; e) facilitate awareness and networking opportunities with employers from agencies, business and nonprofit sectors. The value of Ecology+ lies in its comprehensive, integrated approach that will bring new partners and their resources into a transformative and systemic response to the key barriers affecting underrepresented minorities in science.