EVALUATION: Improving institutional diversity in professional society participation through virtual and hybrid conferencing

几十年来，专业科学学会和科学家个人一直依靠面对面的会议来分享尖端研究并建立合作研究网络：会议对个人职业发展和科学进步至关重要。然而，面对面会议在获取和纳入方面存在重大障碍，往往将财政资源较少的科学家和机构以及难以长途旅行的个人排除在外。新冠肺炎大流行期间向虚拟会议的转变展示了这些历史障碍，因为参加会议的科学家群体更加多样化。这项研究调查了生态、环境科学和相关领域的虚拟和混合会议如何以及是否增加了来自不同机构的个人的参与，包括大学等学术组织和政府机构、非营利组织和环境咨询公司等学术以外的组织。通过侧重于增加机构多样性，科学会议可以改善学术和非学术科学家之间的合作和知识交流，促进基于证据的环境管理。该项目还将评估虚拟会议和混合会议是否更涵盖不同的背景和职业阶段，并评估与会议准入、出席和参与有关的障碍、态度和偏好。最后，研究人员将确定未来可能最好地支持来自不同机构和背景的成员的虚拟和混合格式和功能。短期成果将包括指导专业协会发展公平和包容性的会议并克服准入障碍；长期成果将是提高对生态和保护社区中各种类型机构的能见度和认识。面对面会议形式可以排除许多科学家和环境从业人员，他们可以促进并受益于在这些活动中进行的思想和研究，包括来自低收入到中等收入国家的人员、早期职业研究人员、学生实习生、照顾者和来自非研究密集型机构的人员。特别是，学术和非学术受众之间有限的知识共享和交流阻碍了研究与管理和环境政策的整合。该项目将为专业协会和科学家个人提供循证指导，以评估在获取、参与和会议经验方面的权衡，以设计更公平的会议，从而增加跨机构边界的知识交流。通过专注于整合来自不同机构的学术和非学术领域的科学家，这项工作还将支持学生和职业生涯早期研究人员向学术外职业道路发展的需要和愿望。该项目采用定量和半定量方法来评估虚拟会议是否促进了来自更多不同机构的个人的机会，能够扩大机会的后勤和文化因素，以及最有可能支持纳入这些机构的学生和职业早期研究人员的会议特点和形式。我们将通过对新冠肺炎大流行之前和期间的会议出席情况进行分析，对参与的专业协会的当前和未来成员进行调查，以及作为未来项目的一部分反复确定测试方法的焦点小组来实现这一点。该项目将制作多个同行评议的出版物、演示文稿和教育网络。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。

For decades, professional scientific societies and individual scientists have relied on in-person conferences to share cutting edge research and build collaborative research networks: conferences are instrumental for developing individual careers and scientific progress. However, in-person conferences have significant barriers to access and inclusion, often excluding scientists and institutions with less financial resources and individuals for whom long-distance travel is difficult. The shift to virtual conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated these historical barriers, as conferences were attended by more diverse groups of scientists. This research investigates how and whether virtual and hybrid conferences in ecology, environmental science, and allied fields have increased participation by individuals from a diverse set of institutions, including academic organizations like universities and organizations outside of academia like government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and environmental consulting firms. By focusing on increasing institutional diversity, scientific conferences can improve collaboration and knowledge exchange between academic and extra-academic scientists, facilitating evidence-based environmental management. The project will also assess whether virtual and hybrid conferences are more inclusive of a diverse set of backgrounds and career stages and assess barriers, attitudes, and preferences related to conference access, attendance, and participation. Lastly, researchers will identify future and alternative virtual and hybrid formats and features likely to best support members from diverse institutions and backgrounds. Short-term outcomes will include guidance for professional societies to develop equitable and inclusive conferences and overcome barriers to access; long-term outcomes will be increased visibility and awareness of a diversity of types of institutions in ecology and conservation communities.In-person conference formats can exclude many scientists and environmental practitioners who can contribute to and benefit from the exchange of ideas and research that takes place at these events, including those from low-to-middle income countries, early career-researchers, student trainees, caregivers, and those from non-research-intensive institutions. In particular, limited knowledge sharing and exchange between academic and extra-academic audiences have stymied integration of research into management and environmental policies. This project will provide professional societies and individual scientists with evidence-based guidance to evaluate tradeoffs in access, participation, and conference experience, to design more equitable conferences that can increase knowledge exchange across institutional boundaries. Through a focus on integration of academic and extra-academic scientists from a diverse range of institutions, this work will also support student and early-career researchers in their need and desire for development toward extra-academic career paths. This project applies quantitative and semi-quantitative approaches to assess if virtual conferences facilitate access for individuals from more diverse institutions, logistical and cultural factors that can expand access, and conference features and formats that are most likely to support inclusion of student and early-career researchers from those institutions. We will accomplish this through analysis of conference attendance prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys of current and prospective members of participating professional societies, and focus groups that iteratively identify approaches for testing as part of a future project. This project will produce multiple peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and an educational webinar.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.