Diversity & Inclusivity Policy
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Meetings & Courses Program is strongly committed to diversity in the recruitment, selection, and invitation of participants for all our meetings and courses. Due consideration is given by all conference organizers and course faculty to the inclusion of qualified individuals from groups underrepresented in the sciences, including women and scientists from developing countries, as well as African-, Hispanic-, and Native American scientists from the U.S.
Women in science
Numerous reports have shown that the representation of women in scientific disciplines decreases in advanced academic ranks, with the highest representation of women at the postdoctoral level and the lowest at the full-professor level (see, e.g., the 2006 National Academies report). Therefore, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Meetings & Courses' Diversity Policy aims to increase the percentage of female scientists who play leadership roles as organizers, instructors, and invited speakers in all our conferences, courses, and workshops, irrespective of field. Wherever possible, organizers and instructors are encouraged to strive for parity in terms of invitations to session chairs, discussion leaders, and invited speakers.
Scientists from developing countries
The Laboratory's Meeting and Courses Program encourages attendance and active participation by scientists from the developing world. In recognition of the fact that the associated costs of attendance at our meetings and courses (i.e., travel, registration/tuition, housing, and food) are a challenge for scientists from developing countries, the Laboratory actively seeks partnerships with funding organizations. For example, the International Brain Research Organization through the auspices of the Society for Neuroscience provides full scholarships for a small number of selected students from the developing world to attend certain neuroscience courses at the Laboratory.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents from under-represented minority groups
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory strongly believes that effective recruitment and retention of individuals from under-represented minority groups require a commitment to create an inclusive environment at all levels of its research and educational components. The Laboratory has thus adopted innovative ways of promoting minority representation in the biological sciences, including:
K-12 educational programs offered by the Dolan DNA Learning Center
The Partners for the Future program, which offers local high school students research opportunities at the Laboratory
The summer Undergraduate Research Program
The Watson School of Biological Sciences graduate program
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory/Stony Brook shared graduate program
We feel the efforts of the different programs help engender an atmosphere that is inclusive of diversity. In addition, they serve to provide diverse role models at every educational level, which are important influences in attracting young students to the sciences and in particular, to the Laboratory.
Individuals with Disabilities
Scientists with disabilities are welcome and encouraged to participate in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meetings and courses. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory strives to ensure that the campus and its facilities are meaningfully accessible to individuals with disabilities and aims to provide persons with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from our educational programs.
Please contact the Meetings & Courses Program office by email at meetings@cshl.edu for accessibility information and additional information regarding special services, for example:
•Preferred housing for persons with disabilities or limited mobility.
•Complimentary registration for assistants or companions
•Specialized transportation services
Next-generation scientists
Our Professor for a Day program aims to introduce gifted high school students to contemporary science in a real world setting. The students attend talks and a poster session for a day during one of the many scientific meetings hosted by the Laboratory. In doing so, they see what science involves outside laboratory experiments, in particular how scientists communicate their work and subject it to peer review. The students thus learn that working at the bench is only one aspect of being a good scientist, and that communication and discussion are also vital.
The Laboratory welcomes feedback and suggestions on how to further improve our efforts for effectively recruiting individuals from diverse populations and encouraging their participation in our educational programs. Please email any comments or suggestions to Dr. David J. Stewart, Executive Director, Meetings & Courses Program.