RMAG's Newest Standing Committee: The Diversity & Inclusion Committee

By Jeff May, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair

A number of committees, run by a large cadre of hard-working volunteers, help keep RMAG operating smoothly, deliver service to its members, and provide outreach: the Membership, Continuing Education, Publications, Educational Outreach, On The Rocks, and Finance committees. In 2021, championed by then incoming President Cat Campbell and Counselor Jeff May, a new ad hoc group, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, was approved by the RMAG Board, and became a standing committee this year. It presently is composed of RMAG members Dan Basset, Luis Escobar Arenas, Ginny Gent, Jeff May, Kajal Nair, Rebecca Johnson Scrable, and Cam Uribe, plus Bridget Crowther and Kathy Michell-Garton, our Executive Director and Operations Manager, respectively.

Why did RMAG turn its attention to issues of diversity and inclusion? In addition to the moral imperative, our demographics will be changing as we move into the organization’s second century. Plus, we represent a science that relies on innovation and creativity. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (1) found that a diverse team will typically outperform a more homogenous team, even when the homogenous team is considered to have “relatively greater ability” as individuals than the more diverse group.

RMAG Diversity and Inclusion Committee member Rebecca Johnson Scrable (left) and Dinosaur Ridge Outreach Coordinator Libby Prueher (right) staffing the joint Juneteenth booth.

Photo by Jeff May

The excitement of discovery at PrideFest.

Photo by Jeff May

The Dinosaur Ridge stickers for PrideFest were a huge hit!

People with dissimilar backgrounds have varied experiences and perspectives, and thus approach problems differently, ask unique questions, and develop more original solutions. Companies with gender-diverse executive teams were 25% more likely to have above average profitability and value creation (2). And those with an ethnically diverse C-suite were 36% more likely to have above-average profits. Obviously, by being more inclusive, the likelihood of scientific AND economic success of an organization is much higher.

However, the U.S. STEM workforce is anything but diverse, made up of 77% white and 66% male employees as of 2019 (3). The concentration of white employees in the Earth Sciences is even more pronounced, accounting for 85% of the workers (4). The oil and gas industry alone encompasses almost 900,000 people, but only about 8% are Black and 22% are female (5). Yet, in the U.S. today there are currently more non-white children than white children and nearly half of all children born are female. STEM fields, and geoscience in particular, do not reflect the growing diversity of our country.

PrideFest booth volunteers (left to right): David Randolph, Luis Escobar Arenas, Libby Prueher, Katie Bradley, Jeff May, and LaShawn Randolph

Photo by Kristen Kidd

During the Juneteenth celebration, kids had a blast “digging” for fossils, which they got to keep along with other small geology-related giveaways. Kids also enjoyed coloring their very own T. rex and Triceratops masks.

Photos by LaShawn Randolph

Clearly, for the continued health and advancement of our industry, we need to activity support and enhance the pipeline of students choosing geoscience careers from underrepresented groups. Our organization must overtly become an open and welcoming space, grow beyond dominantly oil and gas, provide lifelong learning for students and young professionals, and collegially share in members’ professional and personal growth. As part of this effort, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s first task was to update RMAG’s Statement on Diversity, sharing a vision for our association:

RMAG is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the geosciences. We will promote diversity through outreach and education. Diverse classrooms, workplaces, and professional societies that foster inclusion benefit with increased creativity, a diversity of ideas, and enhanced scientific inquiry.

Earth sciences are one of the least diverse STEM fields. Our goal is to break down systemic barriers that inhibit full inclusion within our geoscience community. We encourage you to participate in our initiatives that strive to increase active involvement of underrepresented groups. We welcome further suggestions and actions.

WHAT ARE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)?

Diversity involves characteristics that make one group or individual distinctive from another. It includes, but isn’t limited to, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical and mental ability, religion, political views, socioeconomic status, language, marital status, and veteran status. Diversity may also include personal beliefs, perspectives, and values.

Equity aims to ensure fair treatment, access, and equality of opportunity and advancement for everyone while also attempting to identify and remove the barriers that prevent anyone’s full participation. Equity promotes impartiality within the processes, procedures, and distribution of resources of a system or organization.

Inclusion builds a culture where everyone feels welcome by supporting and embracing differences and offers respect to everyone in words and actions. An inclusive environment is respectful and collaborative, allowing all to freely participate and contribute. An inclusive organization endeavors to remove all barriers, discrimination, and intolerance.

RMAG’S DEI INITIATIVES

This year, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee instigated and continues to work on a variety of initiatives. One goal is to provide diverse students and communities greater exposure to the Earth sciences. We also began working toward expanding the range of geoscience disciplines represented within RMAG. Ultimately, we are striving to educate and inspire individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and provide a respectful and convivial community.

Starting in January of 2022 our first major initiative got underway with the monthly Member Corner in the Outcrop. One purpose of this monthly feature is to expose our membership to the wide mixture of people and specialties in RMAG. We also want to help a diversifying audience, especially students and young professionals, feel welcome within the geosciences and our organization in particular. In order to grow and remain relevant during the next 100 years, our membership must expand beyond dominantly oil and gas into geothermal, CO2 sequestration, hydrogeology, mining, geochemistry, geologic engineering, environmental, and paleoclimatology, among others.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee also began working with the Membership Committee to present guest lectures for area college geoscience clubs on non-oil and gas topics. Ben Burke, RMAG President-Elect, gave the first talk covering geothermal energy for the CSU geoscience club on April 25. We hope this effort will raise student awareness of what we offer, such as the mentorship program, field trips, short courses, and luncheon talks, and encourage them to become members. In addition, we reached out to historically Black colleges and universities with Earth science programs, advertising the RMAG Foundation scholarships and offering virtual presentations, field trips, contacts with local professors and geologists, help with job and graduate school prospects, or just a place to crash when in the area.

A major endeavor this summer was collaborating with Dinosaur Ridge on a kids activity booth at the Juneteenth and PrideFest celebrations. Our goal was to help generate geoscience awareness within these marginalized communities. With generous funding from the RMAG and RMS-AAPG foundations we were able to provide visitors with geology-related giveaways, the opportunity to dig for fossils, color dinosaur masks, and examine rock and fossil samples. Over the course of the two weekends, we interacted with almost 1000 youth and their parents. Plus, we made connections that will allow the RMAG to expand our outreach to alternative communities, including Strive Prep, GOAL High School, and The Center on Colfax.

Special recognition goes to Libby Prueher, Dinosaur Ridge’s Outreach Coordinator, who provided the activities and coordinated numerous volunteers from her organization to staff the booths, and Rebecca Johnson Scrabble, who spearheaded our funding requests. Thanks, too, to the RMAG members who helped in the booths: Cam Uribe, Rebecca Johnson Scrable, Mike Fairbanks, Rachael Hoover, Mike Tischer, Christophe Simbo, Luis Escobar Arenas, and Jeff May (Juneteenth) as well as Larry Rasmussen, Katie Joe McDonough, Rob Diedrich, Luis Escobar Arenas, and Jeff May (PrideFest). Of singular note is the two graduate student volunteers from CSU, Christophe and Luis, who were recipients of RMAG Foundation scholarships and already are giving back to the organization!

Now in the works is an informal RMAG Women’s Group in collaboration with the Membership Committee. This likely will entail a monthly drop-in gathering over coffee, to provide networking opportunities, mutual support, and exposure to RMAG activities. If you are interested in more information or helping get this activity off the ground, contact Sandra Labrum at SLabrum@slb.com.

As move forward, we could use YOUR ideas, experience, energy. We need and welcome new Committee members and volunteers! If interested, please contact staff@rmag.org.

REFERENCES

1) https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0403723101

2) https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/ our-insights/delivering-through-diversity

3) https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20221/u-s-andglobal-stem-education-and-labor-force

4) https://www.americangeosciences.org/geoscience-currents/diversity-geosciences

5) https://energyfuturesinitiative.org/wp-content/ uploads/sites/2/2022/03/2020-US-Energy-and- Employment-Report-Full.pdf