Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to C. Svambera.
Organizations benefit when the workplace climate is inclusive and supportive of diverse staff. A healthy workforce climate benefits from increased staff awareness of potential issues, examining cultural norms and traditions, and an active willingness to discuss uncomfortable topics with care and respect.
In 2020, staff at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) initiated discussions on diversity and inclusion topicssuch as microaggressions, power imbalances, and personal identity, with the goal of nurturing and sustaining an inclusive workplace climate. Authors Shupla, Filiberto, Rivera-Valentín, and Svambera determined that rather than conducting a single workshop, holding a series of seminars that they titled “Braving Diversity” on assorted topics would be more meaningful. These seminar and discussion sessions are intentionally designed to supplement, not replace, traditional trainings and workshops on unconscious bias, bystander intervention, harassment, and other topics.Braving Diversity is a series of LPI staff discussions, coordinated by and open to all staff on the challenges related to maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. The vision is to hold these hour-long sessions, which include current research on diversity and inclusion and facilitated dialogue, several times each year.