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The CERF Inclusion Lunch is a venue for the CERF community to address challenges faced by underrepresented people in the sciences, provide an environment supportive of triumphs, and develop personal and professional networks. For many years, CERF’s support for Women in Science events has paved the way for equity in coastal and estuarine science. This year, the CERF Inclusion Lunch presents an opportunity for conference attendees to broaden participation even further as a part of the CERF initiative Rising TIDES, Toward an Inclusive, Diverse, and Enriched Society.
The work and achievements of women over the years have laid the critical groundwork for Rising TIDES. The CERF Inclusion Lunch will celebrate the work of women pioneers in CERF to demonstrate the significance of a progressively diverse science community.
2017 Theme Identifying Your Inner Mentor: Shattering Ceilings by Opening Doors
Traditionally applied to women and underrepresented minorities, the term “glass ceiling” refers to the invisible obstacles limiting professional advancement. With the contributions of two specialized speakers and peer-to-peer examples, the CERF Inclusion Lunch is an opportunity to gain strategies for shattering these ceilings, encouraging all CERF scientists to support one another and work together in overcoming these barriers. As research shows, innovation and advancement are intrinsically connected to diversity. Working as a collective coastal and estuarine science cohort with the CERF Inclusion Lunch as a platform promotes our success.
Two strategies the Lunch will highlight for breaking through the glass ceiling are to cultivate diverse networks and to gain a variety of mentors.
The CERF Inclusion Lunch will host a presentation, a facilitated audience discussion, and productive small group expressions. Ample time for personal and professional networking will be available at the end of the formal program.
Our objective is to provide participants with an inspired, unified understanding of their valued roles as an agency for change for a more inclusive future.
Speakers
Treda Smith Grayson Environmental Protection Specialist on the Tribal Capacity Development Team in the American Indian Environmental Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters
Employed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters for 18 years, Treda's primary duty is to support tribes in developing environmental capacity through the administration of the Indian Environmental General Assistance (GAP). Treda formerly led the National Coastal Condition Assessment, a national coastal monitoring program, as well as provided technical support to develop and adopt biological, nutrient and aquatic life criteria for water quality standards development, in the Office of Water. Other assignments included providing monitoring and data analysis assistance in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Science and Public Policy at George Mason University, researching the effects of multiple stressors on estuarine benthic communities. Treda's has held several leadership positions in CERF including President, Treasurer, and Membership Chair for the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS).
Judith Swift Director of the Coastal Institute, University of Rhode Island Professor, Department of Communication Studies and Department of Theatre
As director of the CI, Judith blends traditional science communication strategies with innovative interdisciplinary approaches that engage the audience through right- and left-brain to create a more impactful message through sensory as well as analytical pathways. She is the regional director of the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, a consortium of 26 universities/NGOs and 9 federal partners to address complex coastal ecosystem management. She has over 25 years of experience on conflict resolution and has received training through the Lily Foundation and Harvard University. Judith also served as the vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Rhode Island and was URI Foundation Scholarly Excellence Award in 2002. Learn more about Judith
