Who is involved in creating new knowledge, how is the status quo challenged by the very questions asked by investigators of different identities? Researchers can cultivate greater diversity, inclusion and equity within their teams and across the conduct of their scholarship. Science Magazine interviewed Lehigh's Dr. Donald Outing and Dr. Lesley Chow about their expertise and practices. Lehigh's Research Institutes are charting paths of change and accountability in education, healthcare, energy and computing research spaces. Learn more about the Institute for Critical Race and Ethnic Studies which is grounded in the "epistemologies and histories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color in the United States." The ICRES fosters rigorous theory-based and experiential learning and inquiry in core areas of education and health. In engineering, the cybyerphysical and energy systems being developed need deliberate attention to and involvement by scholars and communities historically excluded from such queries and development. Therefore, the I-CPIE leadership team developed a guiding document to stragically map out accountability for greater diversity, inclusion and equity. Also, scholars leading teams in computing, data and human interfaces must attend to the human and social factors. At Lehigh, the I-DISC team intends to construct their scholarship with data equity and justice in mind, as described in their plan. The PIs across these interdisciplinary research institutes and many other faculty across campus are committing to their own professional development and increased support for initiatives to recruit more diverse graduate students and support their career goals. The very ways of designing, implementing, and communicating scholarship must integrate shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice for the impacts to be fully realized and change the world.
