Hello Delphine! Thank you for agreeing to have this GeoTalk interview. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your background? Hello, and thank you for having me! My name is Delphine Urbah, and I am a French professional working at the intersection of space, policy, ethics, and the human dimensions of space exploration. I currently work as a project manager for the Académie Spatiale Île-de-Franc ...[Read More]
We cannot solve the world’s most complex problems, from climate change to curing disease, if scientists must leave parts of themselves at the laboratory door. This is a reality that we must acknowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The demand for conformity, the fear of judgment, and the reality of discrimination act as invisible barriers that can limit innovat ...[Read More]
Imagine this: you are at work, casually discussing your weekend plans with colleagues. One is planning a hike with her husband. Another jokes about meeting his girlfriend’s parents for dinner, nerves barely concealed. Then you mention a date night with your partner. The conversation halts. The atmosphere becomes taut. One of your colleagues makes a swift exit. Later that day, your boss calls you i ...[Read More]
Yesterday, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) hosted a vibrant and impactful event focused on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within the geosciences community. This networking session provided an open and welcoming space for participants to meet the dedicated volunteer members of the EGU EDI Committee and learn more about the initiatives implemented by the EGU to raise awareness of the ...[Read More]
The Earth and space sciences, like many STEM fields, have long been dominated by a narrow vision of who belongs. But the tide is turning. A 2023 workplace climate survey of Earth and space scientists highlights both the persistent barriers queer and other historically excluded scientists face and the urgent need for cultural shifts within the discipline. The data is clear: the geosciences must now ...[Read More]
By Andrea L. Popp, Anouk Beniest, Anita Di Chiara, Derya Gürer, Elenora van Rijsingen, Mengze Li and Simone Pieber. The geoscience community has long been recognized as one of the least diverse scientific fields. However, the extent to which this homogeneity affects workplace climate, particularly for under-represented groups, remains unclear (Berhe et al., 2022; Popp et al., 2019). Documented ins ...[Read More]
Around the world, the month of October is observed as Black History Month and includes the International Day for Disaster Reduction. While both these observances are significant in their own right, it gave EGU the opportunity to hear from geoscientists of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities about the many ways that race and natural hazards are linked: does one affect the ot ...[Read More]
Hi Helen, thank you for agreeing to do this interview! Before we dive in deeper, could you please introduce yourself and your role for our readers? I am a geologist by background having started my career with the British Geological Survey in the UK over 30 years ago. In that time, I have had several roles including as a coastal geologist, geoinformatics specialist, and most recently working on dat ...[Read More]
It is hardly a surprise that members of the geoscience community who identify as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and others who fall under the umbrella but do not identify with these categories) are likely to face more obstacles in their career compared to their cisgender and heterosexual colleagues. This is true for people at all career levels, ...[Read More]
Working from home during the pandemic has allowed many of us to look back on past experiences and to long for the days when our work in marine science took us to amazing places all around the world. Pride month is another great opportunity for reflection and to consider how things have changed for us as LGBTQI+ individuals and the community within STEM, including, on the International Day of the S ...[Read More]
