Thread by @SPBombaci

After running a lab that centers inclusion for 4 years now, I’d like to share some of our lab practices that have really worked in case this info is helpful for others.

1) Lab community norms: these are a set of expectations for communication and engagement amongst the lab team, developed with input from the entire team. We revisit and update these frequently.

2) A commitment from the PI to take inclusive mentorship training and other DEI-related training. I regularly publish and teach on DEI and still have so much to learn about how to be a better mentor!

3) Team building activities: we do lab hikes, lab potlucks, escape rooms, etc., and an annual lab retreat at an Airbnb in one of the beautiful mountain towns in Colorado. We use our retreat to build our lab community and to just have fun.

I usually cover these expenses with my honoraria from talks that I give. These collective activities have a huge impact on the team's sense of community and connection.

4) Individual development plans: these are a series of questions for your mentee about their career and personal development goals during their grad school experience. They are an opportunity for your student to assess their strengths and areas to target for growth.

I use them as a tool to start a conversation about what my mentee needs from me and from other resources and mentors available to support their success. I also use IDPs to communicate clear expectations of mentees’ responsibilities, and what they can expect from mentors.

I also use these to actively encourage feedback about my mentoring so I can improve the support I provide. There are many IDP templates available online that you can adapt. I find it helpful to go over the questions when a student starts their program and review them annually.

5) Team research: we collectively work on a collaborative research project that is selected by the entire team and blends the dynamic interests of everyone in the group.

As a recent example we completed a study on the consequences of inequitable noise pollution for urban wildlife which blended the team’s interests in urban ecology, acoustic ecology, and social justice.

The benefits include cultivating a dynamic research program, encouraging outside the box thinking, helping mentees develop skills collaborating with large groups on research, while also providing them with extra publications for their CV.

6) Encourage a growth mindset, authenticity, empathy, and perspective taking. I often use individual lab meetings and team lab meetings to remind students that they should develop a growth mindset focused on learning from failures and effort...

...and they should feel encouraged to share their authentic self if they are comfortable doing so, and should strive to incorporate the tools of empathy and perspective taking to foster supportive conversations among the team.

7) We actively read and discuss DEIJ literature which allows us to work through challenges within our institution and beyond, and also makes it easier to have these difficult conversations because students can practice talking about these topics in a safe space.

8) I encourage my mentees to learn about their own bias and privilege and I share experiences from my own journey of discovery about my personal biases and privilege. These practices help support inclusion because everyone is actively thinking about how to mitigate their own bias

9) Use inclusive language: I encourage using inclusive language during our lab conversations, especially encouraging using correct pronouns, and actively welcome feedback on how to improve my own language and communication.

I hope some of this was helpful. I am still learning and growing in my effort to create an inclusive lab, but these practices have been very useful, at least for me.