Greetings to you all on behalf of the ISB EDI committee!


In mid-April, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee of the International Society for Biocuration (ISB) hosted a screening of the film 'Picture a Scientist'. Sponsored by the Executive Committee, this 90-minute film is an acclaimed documentary that addresses systemic gender bias and racism in the world of science (available on Netflix). 


We are following this with a workshop on 17 August 2021 entitled Picture a Scientist”.  This workshop will be of great interest to those who were able to view the film, as well as those with an interest in EDI issues. 


Please let me know if you would like to serve as a Panelist for this workshop in the next two days.


EDI workshop aims at a discussion on how to make science more diverse, equitable, and open to all”. The requirements for serving as a panelist are: i) someone who has experience of working as a biocurator and is familiar with the ISB; would like to bring some of the articulation from their work experience as a biocurator to the panel discussion; ii) someone who has watched the movie Picture a Scientist” and is able to reflect on the movie itself, specific challenges and unique aspects of Biocurators job, and what a society like ISB has done or how it could help in improving the work environment and offering professional opportunities/ mentoring to biocurators from minority and under-represented background


If you have someone else in mind, please forward their names and emails. We prefer to fill this last spot with someone working on plants, but others are also welcome.


Best regards

Sushma (On behalf of ISB EDI committee)


--
Sushma Naithani (she/her)
Associate Professor Senior Research
Editor-in-chief, Current Plant Biology
Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology
Center for Genome Research & Biocomputing 
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331
Phone: +1-541-737-8022
Fax: +1-541-737-3573

He is an emissary of pity, and science, and progress, and devil knows what else.”— Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad