Justly stewarding natural resources and managing the impact of natural hazards are foundational aspects of our work as geoscientists. To most effectively serve society, we need to build broad participation and engagement in Earth and planetary sciences.

In 2021 Penn State Geosciences participated in the URGE program with thousands of geoscientists from all over the United States and beyond. During the program, participating members learned about the need for anti-racism efforts in our science communities and constructed draft policies and procedures to help take direct action to improve access, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the Department of Geosciences.

Core components of the URGE experience included informational readings and interviews, (curriculum available here: https://urgeoscience.org/curriculum/ ), group discussions, and the development of policies and procedural guidelines for maximizing our ability to counter bias and operate with intentionality to reduce barriers and build broad belonging in the Department. You can explore the draft documents our Departmental working group created during the first phase of URGE here: https://urgeoscience.org/pods/penn-state-geosciences/

In the next phase of URGE, starting in June 2023, working groups (or “pods”) will expand conversations about how policies and practices can counter bias and support broad participation and belonging, collaborate to refine existing policies within the Department, and work with leadership to implement changes.  Details of the first module can be found here: https://urgeoscience.org/module_1/

Penn State Geosciences community members should fill out this form to be included in the Teams group and any correspondence about URGE activities: https://forms.office.com/r/1NnFcuXfa7