SYMP 15-2 - Removing Barriers to Ecology and Supporting Minority Undergraduates

For 27 years, the Ecological Society of America’s Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) program, has been a leader in increasing representation of underrepresented minorities (URM) in the field of ecology. The program has directly served over 1200+ students with fully funded travel events, that offers hands-on, engaging experiences with ecology that exhibit the relevance and applications of this science. Each experience also provides mentoring and the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of ecologists and other motivated students to both broaden and deepen students’ understanding of ecology and potential careers. Undergraduate students and graduate SEEDS Alum participate in 6 core program components: on campus chapters, a fellowship, field trips, leadership meeting, ESA Annual Meeting and Graduate Skills Workshops for our graduate alum. Previous research demonstrated that 80% of SEEDS alumni survey respondents had completed at least one degree in an ecology-related field. For URM alumni, 85% earned a degree in an ecology-related field. Overall, 71% of working SEEDS alumni respondents have careers in ecology (Mourad et al. 2018). SEEDS not only provides a platform for students to engage in ecology and its professionals, but also recognizes that each student is starting from a different place and, therefore, they each need diverse types of support to feel a part of the scientific community. Each SEEDS participant has a unique experience depending upon their education, beliefs, past opportunities, and future goals. By highlighting the need for more diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in sciences – the program has been a leader in removing berries for students participating and exploring the science of ecology and its career paths. In conclusion, the program has identified 4 main components to analyze that could be identified as barriers: Advertising, Application, Participation, and Follow Up support. By identifying and removing as many barriers as possible, SEEDS has been able to foster a sense of belonging, professionalism, and family amongst our participants, and the broader ecological community.