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Special Session

Career Track

SS 37 - A Conversation About Possible Reasons the Ecology Profession Isn’t More Diverse and What Might Be Done to Change This

Friday, August 11, 2023
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PDT
Location: D135

    Organizer(s)

  • HB

    Hank L. Bart, Jr., n/a

    Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    Tulane University
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

    • Moderator(s)

  • HB

    Hank L. Bart, Jr., n/a

    Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    Tulane University
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

    • Speaker(s)

  • HB

    Hank L. Bart, Jr., n/a

    Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    Tulane University
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

  • CN

    Charles H. Nilon

    School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri
    Columbia, Missouri, United States

  • JL

    J. Drew Lanham

    Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology
    Clemson University
    Clemson, South Carolina, United States

Session Description: A recent paper (O’Brien et al. 2020) addressed the question, Why are there so few ethnic minorities in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB)? The study took a social psychological approach to investigating inclusion in EEB by examining interrelationships among challenges to inclusion in EEB, the sense of belonging in EEB, and interest in pursuing graduate education and ultimately careers in EEB. The authors of the study surveyed 1,906 college undergraduates majoring in STEM fields (360 African Americans, 313 Latinx/Hispanics, 706 Whites, and 524 Asian/Asian Americans) and used the survey results to test several interrelated hypotheses derived from a theoretical model on which the study was grounded. Compared to Whites, ethnic minorities were more likely to experience challenges to inclusion in EEB (e.g., less exposure to ecology, fewer same-race role models, discomfort in outdoor environments). Challenges to inclusion were associated with a decreased sense of belonging in EEB educational contexts. Experiencing a low sense of belonging in EEB educational contexts was associated with lower interest in pursuing graduate education in EEB.

This special session will discuss the findings of this study (especially findings related to the field of ecology) and the study’s implications for diversifying the ecology profession. A number of questions will be posed and hopefully answered in the session.


  1. How does exposure to ecology-related experiences by minority undergraduates who participate in ESA SEEDS Program activities influence their sense of belonging in ecology?

  2. How important is, or was, exposure to same-race role models to the sense of belonging in ecology felt by graduate students and professional ESA members from underrepresented groups?

  3. Did minority ESA members feel discomfort in outdoor environments (places where ecologists often work) at any point during their development as ecologists, and, if so, how did they overcome this?

  4. What kinds of interventions might ESA and other ecology organizations pursue to increase minority’s sense of belonging and inclusion in ecology.