DESIGN: Creating cultural change in small to medium-sized professional societies: a training network approach

美国弹性支线协会(AES)的规模和范围通常是学生经历的第一个专业协会。它们是让成员在科学事业中感到受欢迎、被纳入和受到重视的重要结构。该项目的目标是为建立一个中小型社会网络奠定基础，该网络可以共同努力，在各自领域和其他领域创造文化变革。项目负责人将首先将重点放在AES上进行试点，他们将完成对AES指导政策的彻底审查，为成员创建和实施培训，并创建培训讲师模式，以在AES之外提供这些培训。然后，研究人员将在其他类似的社会中试验这种方法。长期目标是将其扩展为一个相互支持的网络，将该项目中建立的培训和最佳做法扩展到高级技术教育之外。这将培养科学领域的人才，并通过将多样化的学生人口持续纳入所述劳动力队伍，使科学劳动力多样化。该项目的研究人员将与美国弹性分支学会(AES)一起领导文化变革，然后将其推广到其他社会。具体地说，研究人员将1)通过修改高级专科学校的指导性文件和政策，为高级专科学校和其他社团提供一个更受欢迎和更安全的会议；2)通过强化培训和培训者培训模式，在高级专科学校内部看到促进成员多样性的文化变化；以及3)提供资源，帮助在类似的社会中以负担得起的方式创造变化，通过网络方法实现。研究人员将评估与实施政策变化和可持续培训模式有关的几个假设，并试点其他社会的支助网络。假设增加培训和仅仅提供培训就会导致文化转变，这表现在：1)(成员投票)批准修改，使高级专家会议的指导文件公开包容；2)改进会议前和会议后的气候调查；以及以下方面的增加：3)自愿完成培训的成员数量；4)新成员；5)成员的多样性；6)担任领导职务的成员的多样性。该项目的目标是看到向该网络寻求帮助并采用通过该项目制定的最佳实践的社团数量逐步和稳步增加。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Societies of the size and scope of the American Elasmobranch Society (AES) are often the first professional societies that students experience. They are important structures in making members feel welcomed, included, and valued in the scientific enterprise. The goal of this project is to lay the groundwork for creating a network of small to medium-sized societies that can work together to create cultural change in their own fields and beyond. Project leaders will pilot this by first focusing on the AES, where they will complete a thorough review of AES’s guiding policies, create and implement training for members, and create a train-the-trainer model to deliver those trainings beyond AES. The researchers will then pilot this approach with other similar societies. The long-term goal is to expand this into a mutually supportive Network that will extend the training and best practices established in this project beyond AES. This will build talent in scientific fields and diversify the scientific workforce through the persistence of a diverse student population into said workforce. The researchers for this project will lead the creation of culture change with the American Elasmobranch Society (AES), which can then be extended to other societies. Specifically, the researchers will 1) provide a more welcoming and safe meeting for AES and other societies, accomplished through changes to the guiding documents and policies of AES; 2) see culture change within AES that facilitates diversity in membership, accomplished through intensive training and a train-the-trainer model; and 3) provide the resources to help affordably create change in similar societies, accomplished through a Network approach. The researchers will evaluate several hypotheses relating to the implementation of policy changes and a sustainable training model and pilot a support Network for other societies. It is hypothesized that increased training, and the mere availability of training, will lead to a culture shift as indicated by: 1) approval (by vote of members) of changes to make the guiding documents of AES overtly inclusive; 2) improvement in pre- versus post-meeting climate surveys; and increases in the following: 3) numbers of members voluntarily completing training; 4) new members; 5) diversity of members; and 6) diversity of members holding leadership positions. The goal of this project is to see a gradual and steady increase in the number of societies seeking assistance from the Network and adopting the best practices developed through this project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.