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Initiatives for Building Inclusive and
Diverse Communities

Our lab is deeply committed to fighting systemic injustice and biases against race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, religion, and experience in our laboratory, department, institution, social community, and community at large.

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Science as an institution was founded on structural and institutional racism, inequality, and exploitation, some of which still persists today. We passionately believe that diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace and community at large stimulates creativity, innovation, engagement, and success.

We pledge be anti-racist, anti-sexist, and pro-LGBTQ+, and anti-discrimination. We will do so by actively standing up against forms of injustice and intolerance including, but not limited to, statements and acts of overt racism, sexism, and other prejudices; language and action rooted in innate biases; and suggestions of othering, tone-policing, reverse racism or sexism, discursive racism or sexism, and privilege.

 

We pledge to continue educating our social and workplace communities on the crucial need to acknowledge and understand the difference between ideals or goals for a more just society and the actions that lead to true inclusion and respect for diversity. 

 

We will continue to devote ourselves to identifying and executing structural and institutional solutions that will provide equal access to tools and opportunities for people of all races, genders, religion, and experiences. 

 

We will remain humbly committed to increasing our tolerance for feedback by not being afraid to ask questions or to receive feedback, by evaluating our reactions to feedback, and by accepting the discomfort of giving and receiving "call outs" for the benefit of learning.

To  promote equality, equity and justice, we commit to the following initiatives and programs:

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Harrison Awards for Full-Time Summer Research 2023

  • Writer: Tracy Larson
    Tracy Larson
  • Mar 28, 2023
  • 1 min read

Updated: Mar 12, 2024

Alex Perez and Kathryn Chung each received the Harrison Undergraduate Research Award to support their independent research projects for Summer of 2023! Alex will explore the necessity of proliferation of neural progenitor cells on circuit composition and singing behavior. Kathryn will continue uncovering patterns of cells death and responses by microglia and neural progenitor cells during and after extreme degeneration and regeneration of the song nucleus HVC. Congrats to both Alex and Kathryn!




Creation of the Biology Outreach and Inclusion Program

  • Writer: Tracy Larson
    Tracy Larson
  • Oct 1, 2020
  • 1 min read

Updated: Aug 27, 2022

The Department of Biology graduate students have formed a club to promote outreach activities in the local and regional communities (originally called BOP, Biology Outreach Program). Tracy is partnering with the club to now include the Reciprocal Visits inclusion initiative initially envisioned as a separate entity. The now-called, Biology Outreach and Inclusion Program (BOIP) aims to establish enduring relationships between the University of Virginia Department of Biology and public institutions in our local and regional communities.


We aim to nurture an excitement for inquiry-based science through outreach programs including SPI-BOIP virtual classroom visits, science tutoring, and visits to our department by local primary and secondary schools.


We are working to create an equitable infrastructure of support for career building opportunities and scientific collaborations through inclusion programs including the Reciprocal Visits Program.


Tracy has created a website to serve as a hub for all of the outreach and inclusion initiatives in the Department of Biology including those of BOIP but also independent programs from around the department. We are excited to launch the site in the near future!


STEM Middle School Visit

  • Writer: Tracy Larson
    Tracy Larson
  • Feb 29, 2020
  • 1 min read

Updated: Aug 27, 2022


We held our first annual STEM Middle School Visit in February 2020, in which more than 130 students from two regional middle schools visited the UVa Department of Biology. Students toured two laboratories and visited several learning booths.


Learning booths included:

Comparative neuroscience of vocal learning

Talk to a scientist

Natural selection (with M&Ms and Skittles)

Genetics of model organsisms

Build a neuron

Backyard brains (video game controller with muscle movement)


Feedback we received from student and parents:


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